Going to War
by burmafrd
Summary: AR, very AU. No Aliens.  CC.  Mostly Liz/Max.  All hail Jason Katims for creating it; but he also messed it up as well. This is just for Fun.  This is still our Liz, just different going in a  different way.  No Roswell.
1. Chapter 1

Needless to say. Very AU. No Aliens. Katims thought them up but abused them. I am just doing this for fun and revenge on him. For those not familiar with the military this site will help you with military acronyms and abbreviations

/cat/2

Liz Parker sat down in the library of the High School of Worland, Wyoming. It was small, just like the school, just like the town. She spent a fair amount of time there, which was reflected in her grades. She was probably going to be the Valedictorian; but that is not much to boast about when the Senior Class was only going to be 86 strong. And a couple will probably fail their finals so the number that graduates will be less than that in the two months to go before Graduation. What Liz Parker was doing right now was this: trying to figure out what to do after Graduation. Despite a near 4.0 GPA, and Valedictorian, and a VERY good SAT score, College was not exactly beckoning. Liz was very well rounded; very smart to extremely smart in all the major areas of study: Science, Literature, etc. She had no real weakness (well Art- never did seem to figure that out very well). She was known to be studious and hardworking; her mother worked for the City as a secretary for the Town Council; Liz helped out by waitressing at the Ram's Horn Café. Her father had lit out when Liz was only 2; she had no memory of him. He had not been heard from since. It had been just her and her mother, Nancy Parker. Which wasn't so bad. They had not been rich, but not really poor either. But if Liz had wanted anything extra she had had to earn the money herself; which she had. Sad fact was that there were not many jobs available around Worland. It was a small town. Liz did alright as a waitress; but there was no way she was going to keep doing that if there was any other possible alternative.

Elizabeth Claudia Parker, was a 5'1" Brunette; petite but not thin. She was sturdy; carrying heavy plates and the like around for hours a day tends to build you up fairly well; and Liz made a point of running some and otherwise exercising. She was very fit and surprisingly strong for her size. She weighed 110 lbs, which usually surprised anyone when she gave her weight. Boys considered her cute rather than beautiful; and she had a sunny disposition. She did not suffer fools at all, though, and did not put herself out to attract boys. So her social calendar was somewhat limited. Working as much as she did would have limited it anyway. She had not met any boys that would have tempted her to cut down on her hours.

Liz had been aware for quite a while that it would not be easy to even go to community college; the nearest one was well over 100 miles away and you did not commute in this part of the country; the weather would NOT allow it. Not to mention the cost. Liz could probably get a partial scholarship and student loans; but that would leave her with a four year degree and heavy student loans. Couple that with the fact that she did not know what she career she wanted and the problem was obvious. While her SAT scores were very high, they were not stratospheric enough to get a full scholarship. She had even for a while considered one of the military academies; but the process required congressional help. No joy there. There were entrance exams; but what you had there were thousands of applicants trying for a handful of slots. She would have tried that but found out too late where the last one was; it would have been expensive to go there anyway. Community college was probably just barely possible; but she would have to work almost full time to afford it; and frankly she did not really consider it worth the effort, especially since she had no idea what kind of career really interested her.

And she was determined to get away from Worland. She could not really complain about her life; but it had been decidedly dull. She had some good friends; but not lifelong best bud type of friends. Her mother was also not really interested in staying there; she had just been sort of stuck. She had gotten a good job and had realized that it was just smart to stay. Both of them would have no problem leaving and not coming back. The area was beautiful, but the climate was frigid in the winter and way too hot in the summer and too dry all around.

So as she sat there during study hall, this fairly nice day in early April (sunny and lower 50's, a little windy), contemplating her future, or lack thereof. Somehow Liz knew that she needed to get away from Worland, and Wyoming. She had no desire to hit the big cities, but small towns had paled on her. She also wanted a better climate. And some excitement. An idea had come to her and she was now looking at it.

"Liz, are you sure about this?"

"Not even close to sure, Mom, but my options are limited."

Nancy Parker sighed. Her daughter was bright; very bright. She deserved to go to college. But the location that she and Liz had been stuck at for almost 16 years was not advantageous as regards that goal. Nancy just knew, and this was NOT a mothers partiality, that Liz would have been high up in the senior class of any high school in the country. Maybe not valedictorian, but close. Her SAT's showed that. But a little high school in Wyoming was not going to impress anyone. While Liz's accomplishment in a large high school would certainly have gotten her full scholarships to several universities, being valedictorian of Worland Wyoming High school did not get it done.

Liz smiled at her mother. "Mom, for the one thousandth time do not blame yourself. When dad split on us, you were stuck. You were VERY lucky to get a good job. And smart to keep it. It allowed us to live comfortably in this small but reasonably cozy home. I got a pretty good primary education; not great but good. Yes it did work against me as regards opportunity for college. But overall pretty good, and much better than the probable alternatives. This was not a bad place to grow up at all."

"OK, honey, I will not go there. I see how you have grown up and become a fine young woman and I realize part of that reason was where we lived."

"MOST of that reason was you, Mom. Never forget that."

"Fine, then. That still brings us to the point about you wanting to go to college and frankly not being able to. And a lot of that reason because of where we are."

"No argument mom. Which is why this alternative has to be carefully checked out; which I have been doing this past week. Mostly at school on the Library computer since it has a much faster connection speed then ours does."

"Cody?"

"That is the nearest one. I am fairly certain which way I want to go but they have all three there so I will have a conversation with all of them."

"Three?"

"No way am I considering THAT one. I believe if you go that route you are looking at making it a career and that is NOT my intention."

"Certainly not. You sure you want to go by yourself?"

"Better that way. And you do not want to take time out from your job; I will have a free Friday next week and will do it then."

"Well I can get a ride in with Louise so that is not a problem. And it's not really that much of a drive."

"Not for people who live in this part of the country, certainly."

And so that next Friday Liz found herself leaving just before dawn and driving to Cody Wyoming. She did not push and so she got there just before 9. Just as the office was opening.

She was the first one in outside of the person opening it up; she looked around and saw that while there were two other small offices they were closed. She looked at the one that was in.

"They will probably not come in until later. They did not have anyone scheduled and while I do not either, one of us has to be here. We have a rotation."

"OK. I intend to be here all day; I want to talk to them as well."

"So you are interested in a career in the US Army?"

Staff Sergeant William Jones had been a recruiter for almost two years; he had another year to go before moving on. He took pride in the fact that he had never lied to any recruit; and pretty much had never led them on at all. This young lady looked like a possibility. While rather small, she appeared sturdy and gave off an air of intelligence and confidence. She was carrying a folder; looked like she was prepared to talk and ask questions. He much preferred someone like that then someone who just wandered in out of curiosity.

"I am Staff Sergeant William Jones. Just call me Bill. And you are?"

"Elizabeth Parker, from Worland."

"You must have gotten up fairly early to get here before 9."

"Not really; it took me less than two hours and I did not push it. I am used to getting up at 5 or so anyway."

"Well that is a very good trait to have if you are looking at going into the Military. We do NOT keep bankers hours."

"Bill, I have done some research and have gone online and checked things out. I think I have a fairly good idea but talking to a recruiter is a must."

"I like someone who has prepared. Another good trait to have in the service."

"You gotta have a plan."

Bill grinned at that. He liked this girl.

"Elizabeth, the military does NOTHING without a plan."

"Call me Liz. I kind of figured that."

"High School senior?"

"Yep. Here are my transcripts."

Bill blinked a little at that. Not many thought to bring them. He took the folder and looked. Impressive; probably going to be the valedictorian; those SATs are VERY good. After another minute or so he handed them back to her.

"Very impressive Liz. I can truthfully say that no one I have seen since I have been a recruiter, and that is going on three years, has had as good a school record as you do. I take it that college is just not in the cards because of money?"

"Pretty much. Being valedictorian of a class of maybe 86 is not very impressive. At least not to those that deal out scholarships. And while I did very well on my SAT's, not high enough."

"Well, if you are looking at joining the Army in order to get to college later on, that is something we do a lot of. And that is why you are here."

"Pretty much. I figure four years with what I can get while in the service, and what I can save and what the GI Bill will help me with, will allow me to do college with a whole lot less debt than any other way open to me."

"Thousands do it every year from all the services. And I am always happy to have someone motivated and ready, which you certainly seem to be. Do you have an idea of what career you want?"

"That is another reason for going this route. I really have no idea what I want to do; and it would not be of the good to get halfway through, working my fingers to the bone on a job outside of college, then find out what I wanted and to have wasted time and money because I need to go in another direction."

Bill nodded. She certainly did have a plan and had been looking around and researching. All in all she might be, if she did go with the Army, the best recruit he had ever signed up.

They talked for over an hour; Liz took detailed notes and asked some very good questions.

"There are a number of MOS's open for you; while you cannot quite have your pick it's not far off. Anything catch your fancy?"

"While I am proficient as regards computers, and realize that that is an area that is a must in this world, I would prefer not to go into any computer heavy area."

"OK. Here are some possibilities."

Liz spent half an hour going down the list. Finally deciding on two."

"88M and 89B. Motor operator and Ammunition Specialist. Interesting; do you have an interest in big trucks and blowing things up?"

"Big trucks, maybe; blowing things up, not so much. If I did I would have gone for EOD."

"Truck driver is basically what 88M is. And to be honest, Liz, you are small."

"REALLY?"

Bill just had to grin at that. He liked her more and more. If not for the very steady girlfriend he had in town, Liz would be on his list for sure.

"Not saying you could not do it; but it would be tough and you would be riding on phone books all the time."

"Very funny. Now for truth; would it be that tough?"

"Yeah, Liz, it would be. So if those are the two that interest you then Ammunition Specialist is the better way to go. And it is a specialty that usually has a fair number of vacancies. Most people do not want to handle explosives."

"Well that does not bother me, or at least I do not think so. And by a good number of vacancies that should mean that I would have a good chance of going somewhere half decent."

"That you would. By Half decent I mean the larger Army posts like Ft Hood, Ft Stewart, Ft Riley and so on. Because that is where the larger units are stationed and where more ammo and more ammo users are stationed."

"OK. So walk me through the process of what I would go through if this is the route I choose."

And he spent the next 45 minutes doing that. It was coming unto 1130 when the Navy and Air Force recruiters came in. Liz decided to talk to the Air force recruiter and then the Navy recruiter.

Rather tired, Liz made it back by 530 that afternoon. She talked briefly to her mother, ate dinner then tumbled into bed. She would use the Saturday to go over her notes and talk to her mother. But in her mind she had just about made her decision.

On the third of May, 2001 Elizabeth Parker signed papers enlisting in the US Army as an 89B Ammunition Specialist for four years. Sergeant Bill, as she called him, had talked to people and had given her a detailed list of what would be going on. She had asked him about physical training and he had told her to try and be at 3 miles running per day and work on pull ups and situps.

She worked on that steadily over the next two months; she would graduate on 11 June and on 23 June report to Ft Benning, GA for Basic Training. She was lucky in that she would be able to get both basic and her follow on specialty training there.

Her friends were frankly surprised; but as she explained her decision they understood. A couple of them even started to look into the same thing. Liz was a little sad that she did not have any really close friends; but that is the way it was. At least that made leaving a little easier. She really made a point of working hard to get into better physical shape and to research what she would be learning both in Basic and Advanced training. 9 weeks Basic, then 10 Weeks advanced. Then more after that.

Some of her teachers at the High School had hoped she would find a way to college, and moreover hoped she would not have to go this route. But they also understood and supported her.

By the time she got on the place to fly out, Liz Parker was in the best shape of her life. She had been able to get up to 5 miles a day running just in that last week; and she could now do 30 pull ups and 100 situps. Which were well above the minimums required.

She would have 10 weeks of Basic Training; then 9 Weeks of AIT MOS training. She would get a weeks leave after the AIT training. So after 20 weeks she would be trained and then sent to her unit, wherever that may be. So sometime in November she would be going to her home station. Odds were that it would be one of the big posts from Hood to Bragg to Riley, etc.

Liz Parker sat on her bunk at Ft Benning in Basic Training section 44A. Basic Training was NOT coed; all men or all women. The AIT training afterwards might be. This first day had been a little confusing for her; nowhere near as much as for just about everyone else in her platoon of 40. It surprised her, that with information on this fairly easy to find out, that more had not. She had found herself answering some of the questions since they had noticed that she seemed unsurprised and prepared. The first day, as their Drill Sergeant, Serena Williams, told them, would be the easiest. They had lined up; been assigned sections, then had drawn their uniforms and basic equipment. That had taken all morning. Then had come Chow; lunch chow anyway. Not the greatest but not too bad. She had started to get to know the other girls in her section.

Maria Deluca was a diva, no doubt about it. Why a Diva was in the army was a story in itself. Basically she had gotten pissed off with her home life and decided on a massive change. Liz was still snickering at that. Tess Harding was a really beautiful blond, but seemed to be OK. Isabelle Evans was a tall, classically beautiful blond, and a little stuck up but not too bad. Those three had latched onto Liz as one who already had an idea of what was going on and more importantly, what to expect. Maria had asked her how she knew.

"Well, months ago I looked at my situation in Worland, Wyoming and realized that going to college would be really difficult and since I had no real idea what career I wanted, could very well be a waste of time. Just getting a regular job would be pretty much impossible for a high school graduate. So I started to look at the military. I looked things up online and did some research. Then I drove to Cody Wyoming to the nearest recruiter and talked to Army, Navy and Air Force. Spent a couple of hours with each one and had them answer some basic questions. Then went home and researched some more and went to some military forums online and listened and asked questions there. When I decided on the Army, the recruiter got more information for me and suggested other places to look. I used the next two months doing that and working out and getting physically ready. So I got a pretty good idea on what was going to happen, when, and just as important why they do the things the way they do. A fair amount of the time there are good reasons for it. Sometimes its tradition; and sometimes there is no reason- it's just the way the Army does things."

Isabelle had blinked at all that. "Wow. You really prepared."

Tess nodded. "Which is something we all should have done more of."

Maria laughed. "Well, Liz, I am betting you always have a plan."

Liz had grinned. "Ya gotta have a plan."

The first month ground by; Liz was about the third best physically prepared in her platoon; two good former track team members were ahead of her in most areas; but she was just about the top of the class as regards being able to do pullups and situps and the other physical things beyond running. She found herself helping out the other three girls who she had gotten to be friends with the most, but helping out any others that asked. Nothing had really surprised her; and so far nothing had been too hard or too complicated for her.

Serena and her deputy, Susan Sullivan, a staff sergeant, were going over the reports and reviews of the first month with Section 44A. Serena sat back and took a sip of coffee.

"Well, we got lucky with this section. No real problems so far. Might not lose anyone."

Susan snorted. "Way too early to say that; but I agree I think we got lucky."

"So far we got the usual mix; Diva and farmgirl; big city and small town; poor and fairly well off. No real rich ones and no refugees from a ghetto. Which is good."

"So, who are you looking at for section leader?"

Serena raised her eyebrow.

"OK, I know its two early; but who?"

"Not really hard to see who the number one candidate is; but it's still early."

"Yeah. She has not yet had to improvise or confront anything that she did not already know about."

"True, but I cannot remember the last recruit I had that was as well prepared as Liz Parker is."

"Never seen one as good either. Well the next couple of weeks should tell the tale."

Liz was puffing as she finished the obstacle course; it was a little tough on the wall for someone as short as she was. Thankfully the rest of it was actually easier for a short person so overall she could not complain. The upper body strength she had been working on came in real handy. She stood by the rest of the early finishers as the last group made their run. As usual, Maria did the worst. She had never done much of anything physical in her life and it showed. Fortunately for Maria, she had a lot of grit and was as stubborn as all get out. Which was enough for her to so far make it. And she was getting better. Not that you could tell from her comments.

The Drill Sergeant was talking to someone so they had a couple of minutes to rest; which was not usual in the high speed and very well filled days that composed Basic Training.

"Liz, it is really not fair you being so short. The wall is the only thing that even slows you down and it's totally unfair how easy the tunnels are for you. You can almost walk upright."

The others laughed at that. Liz grinned.

"Ya, never knew short could come in so handy."

Maria was a blast a lot of the time that her occasional whining was over looked. Tess was actually slightly shorter than Liz and had been getting into better shape so she was doing it almost as easily. Isabelle found that being tall was not so good; Liz had talked to her about a couple of things and she was doing better.

"All right, people, time for Class. Form up and DOUBLE TIME."

That was one thing that the other girls did not understand; why did they alternate physical drills and training with class time; why not spend all morning on one and all afternoon on another. Liz had explained from what she had learned.

"It's so you do not get comfortable. Basic Training is meant to weed out the week and the stupid. The harder it is, the more of them that go now."

"It's our bad luck that timeout cards are gone."

Liz laughed at the petulance of Maria.

"It was always stupid and it lasted only a few years. There is no timeout in combat or when the situation is bad. You think the other side is going to accept your timeout card?"

Serena and Susan had overheard that, and had looked at each other with slight smiles.

"Recruit Parker present as ordered, Sergeant."

"At ease, Parker."

Liz then went to the at ease position. She had practiced this even before coming to Benning, and had gotten it right before anyone else.

"Parker, in the last two weeks of Basic a Section Leader is chosen. It was an easy decision this time for this section. No one else was as well prepared and ready as you were; and you have shown some ability to react to situations that you were not fully prepared for. You will now wear this ARM patch designating you as section leader. I will now have Sergeant Sullivan explain what that means."

"Parker, you were one of the lowest of the lows. A Recruit. You are now one step up from the gutter. Section Leader. You can lose it as fast as you got it if you screw up. From this point on it will be up to you to get everyone ready in the morning, and down at night. And any problem any of the others have will go through you first. But then that has pretty much been the way it has been in this section since the first day so no change there. Any questions?"

"Sergeant, just how far am I allowed to go to get things done."

Serena and Susan both raised their eyebrows at this unexpected question. Serena chose to answer it.

"Not quite as far as we are allowed to go, Parker. Is that all?"

"yes, Sergeant."

"Dismissed."

After she left Serena looked at Susan. "Now that was a surprise."

"Yeah. Think she was expecting this?"

"Maybe. She had to know about section leaders, as well prepared as she was. There really was no one else that fit the bill; the couple of wannabe's do not count."

As she walked back to the Barracks, Liz went back to the last 8 weeks, scenes flashing through her head.

Liz sighted down the rifle; her M16A2 longer and heavier than the new M4 carbine, but she would not see that until she reached her final unit, if then. Liz had never fired a gun in her life and this was familiarization. Taking a deep breath she sighted on the target and fired. The weapon kicked and the sound hit her even through her hearing protection. She kept firing until her magazine was empty, then pulled it out and opened the bolt. Waiting for the range safety officer to do anything else.

A couple of minutes later the target sheets were brought forward and they all looked at their scores. Liz was pleasantly surprised that she had not missed the target with any of her shots, even if all of them had not gotten inside the rings. Sergeant Williams looked at her sheet.

"Not bad, Parker. Ever fire a weapon before?"

"No sergeant; not even in an arcade or video game."

"Then that is good. You have a decent pattern here; shows you maintained your stance and followed procedures. Keep it up and you might make Sharpshooter."

Maria was sadly looking at her target which was pristine.

"Wow, I suck."

Tess and Isabelle had not done too bad and were trying to console Maria.

"All right people let's do it again. You know what you did right and wrong; so you will do better."

Liz was a little more comfortable and was able to concentrate better; her score went up and now there was a solid grouping inside the rings.

Maria had managed to hit the target a couple of times. Sergeant Sullivan was shaking her head.

"Well, Deluca, some people are just natural born poor shots. But I am not yet willing to let you off the hook. Parker, you seem to have it down pretty well; you will assist Deluca and fire off three more magazines. You others will also work on your marksmanship."

Liz worked hard with Maria, finally getting her to relax by telling her to imagine the targets were someone she really hated; that seemed to do the trick and by the last magazine she was getting most of the bullets on the target.

Williams looked at the last target.

"Deluca, do not worry about ever making sharpshooter. But it looks like you do have hope of qualifying. Dismissed."

Liz faced Tracey Jones, one of the track athletes, on the mat in the Basic Hand to Hand drills. Liz knew she had a slight advantage for this being shorter, and intended to use it. Tracey made her move and Liz went low for a leg and got Tracey down, who then twisted loose to find Liz on her feet and ready again.

Liz felt pretty well after that day; Maria too. Maria turned out to have good instincts for hand to hand, which she explained as being necessary by having three older brothers. Tess and Isabelle had also done well.

Maria and the other two raised their eyebrows at Liz wearing an ARM band that had two stripes on it.

"Chica, what is that about?"

"The last two weeks of basic, the Drill Sergeant selects one of the recruits to act as section leader. That means I get to do the dirty work of getting people up and down. More work for no more pay."

Tess grinned. "That sounds like the Army."

The Sergeants came into the building and all the recruits stood up and came to attention next to their bunks.

"Allright people a little news. Parker has been selected to be section leader for the last two weeks of Basic. That means she has to make sure that you are up for the morning and down for the night and that any complaints you have you start with her and she will decide if you come to us. If you bypass us you better have talked to her first or your ass is mine. IS THAT CLEAR!"

"CLEAR, SERGEANT."

"Very well. Lights out in 1 hour."

A few of the other girls came over to congratulate Liz, who pointed out that she got nothing but more grief for the arm band.

Needless to say, the last two weeks were a lot tougher on Liz than anyone else; but much to her surprise she did not screw up and only had to take something to the Sergeants once. And no one went over her head.

The two sergeants were relaxing the last night of the Basic. Their reports and recommendations were done. Serena smiled.

"These last two weeks were pretty easy. Parker did a good job."

"Well I really appreciate that; since most of what she had been doing was what I usually did."

"I bet you do. I think Parker has a future in this military if she wants it."

"I hope she does. We need a lot more like her."

After Basic came AIT, which was different for each MOS. Liz felt lucky in that the other girls would be staying at Benning for the AIT parts of their training. Liz actually had one of the longer ones at 10 Weeks. The other girls were much shorter; they would share some classes. And Liz had worked a little on the DS and they were going to get one of the four person rooms together for AIT. Though after 7 weeks Liz would be the last one there as the others would be done.

Liz began to learn about ammunition; and before long she realized that while 10 weeks might seem a long time, for something this complicated that was only the beginning. She asked her chief MOS instructor why it was not longer.

"Parker, it's because Ammunition is not High Profile. It should be; after all without it we are throwing rocks. But the Brass and the desk soldiers think so and that is all that matters. I see you have been doing as much extra as you can and that is very good. With Ammunition what you do not know CAN kill you. Whichever unit you go to, there should be QASAS there. If you can get to meet them and talk to them; they are the Army experts on Ammunition. And if you can talk your officers into it, take every chance you can to go to the ASP and help out and learn more. The more you learn the safer you are."

Now that Basic was over, they were given Sundays off. And allowed to leave the post during the day. Not that there was all that much off post in this area. Liz felt lucky as the other girls agreed with that and felt no need to leave; so they just relaxed on Sundays and had girl talk.

She got to know them all a lot better; and was beginning to feel like she would make some very good friends. Of course none of them knew what posts they would be assigned to after AIT. Tess was going to supply as was Maria; and Isabelle would be a truck driver. Technically Liz was in support as well.

Liz walked away from the ceremony where the small MOS 89B class had graduated. There had only been 20 there; most of them men. Only 4 women. Liz had been surprised to find that she was top student again. As such she was given a little leeway as regards assignments. She had gotten word that Isabelle and Maria and Tess had all been sent to the 3rd Infantry Division in Ft Stewart, Georgia; so she decided to ask for that as well and got it. It might be hot and muggy there, but that was fine with her. It was Friday, September 7, 2001. She was due to report NLT 14 Sept 2001. She was catching a plane back to Wyoming that night. She was eager to see her mother again. She would leave on Monday, 10 September to get to Ft Stewart that night.

Nancy felt so proud as she picked up Liz at the Airport. She looked very good in her uniform; and there was something more confident and assured about her as well.

"Honey, you look great."

"Thanks, Mom. I do feel good. Basic and AIT out of the way; going to the same post that Maria and the others are at is real good. I have some good friends there."

"I am so glad to see you make friends. And so proud you were section leader and top student in your class."

"I was real surprised about the Section Leader thing, though looking back I should not have been. And there were only 20 in my MOS class. Like being Valedictorian here."

"That reminds me. You got a call from Sergeant Jones."

"Ya, need to thank him. With what he told me and where to go for more information, there was little that surprised me."

Just being home and with her mother and relaxing for a couple of days really made a difference for Liz. Yet she realized that she no longer really looked at Worland as home now.

Liz got to Savannah, Georgia late in the afternoon of the 10th. She contacted Maria and the girls came out and greeted her.

"Chica, this place is not bad. AT least the weather is cooling off some; the summer here is not pleasant."

They had a good time and Liz then went to her motel room; she would report in first thing in the morning.

Luckily Liz had gotten one of the new CAC cards when she left Benning; that helped smooth things along as she came onto post. She had her CAC and a copy of her orders so the guards directed her right to in processing.

As was usual with the Army, it was hurry up and wait. By 0830 she had gotten to the point that she had post quarters assigned and the basics were done. She would report to her company commander and go from there. The Ordnance company on this post apparently had a decent office; which was rare for Ammo types, as she had been informed by her instructor at Benning. She was lucky in that not many were in processing at the same so she moved along well. It was 900 when she stepped into the building where the ordnance Company was stationed.

"Private Parker, 89B reporting for duty sir."

Captain Simmons took a look at his new soldier. Elizabeth Parker was petite and cute; but looked competent and fit and ready. Which was good. He looked at her paperwork. Hmm. Section Leader at Basic; top of her class at 89B MOS AIT. That was good. Maybe he had someone who could get the job done.

"At ease, Parker. Looks like you have done well so far. I am taking a chance and saying that you realize that you are only at the very beginning of understanding Ammunition?"

"Yes Sir. My instructor told me to pester you to spend as much time at the ASP as possible and to get as much time talking to the QASAS as you could if you want to learn the job well."

"Good Advice. Way too many ordnance companies in the Army do not take their training all that seriously. I only took over the company 3 months ago and that was certainly true here. I am trying to change that mindset. I am hoping you can get a lot of work done."

"You will get my best sir."

"I expect nothing less. Sergeant Axton will be the head honcho for the MOS 89B people; I will have him take over. Dismissed."

Sergeant Axton was a big burly man; black as it was as possible to be. But clearly competent and easy to understand so Liz felt good. He had her in his office going over the paperwork and such when there was a sound of an alarm.

Axton was on his feet and out the door with Liz right behind him. They were into the Captain's office where he was standing with a hard look on his face, listening to a conversation on the phone.

"Yes sir. We will head right to the ASP and start preparing sir."

He put the phone down and faced Axton, Liz and a couple others in his office.

"Half an hour ago a plane hit the World Trade center in Chicago; another one just did the same. It is considered an attack. World wide the US just went to DEFCON 3. We will go on alert. The Post will be closed down; we are going to the ASP and get ready to issue go to war ammunition. Axton, keep Parker with you. She was high student in her class at Benning and is fresh from it; probably will be the best person to help you out. Move People."

Liz followed Axton desperately trying to control herself. Instinctively she knew that everything had changed. She was going to war.

First thing they did was go to the Arms room; Captain Simmons quickly filled out an emergency issue form for Liz to get a M4; they had just changed over from the M16A2. Luckily Liz had been able to get in some practice with one before leaving Benning so it was not totally new to her. Getting live ammo and magazines was, though. The she and Axton piled into a Hummer and headed for the ASP (Ammunition Supply Point-where the ammo is stored). Liz was glad she had given Maria her duffle bag last night; it would be secure in her room. She just had her overnight bag and a few things with her. Axton actually thought about that on the way.

"Parker, where is your bag?"

"Have some friends here, Sergeant. They met me last night. Took it with them. I only have my overnight bag. Did not feel like lugging that around this morning."

Axton nodded approvingly. "Good thinking. Really good thinking the way things are going down."

"We are going to war." It was a statement.

"No doubt about it. This is almost certainly Middle East Arab Terrorists; we will be going right to the source real fast."

Liz nodded as she looked around. The camp looked like a beehive that someone had kicked over. People and soldiers scrambling every which way.

Liz was sober. "I wonder if this is what the country looked like on December 7, 1941? Though the difference was that was a Sunday and most people were expecting war to come sooner or later. This is one out of the blue."

"Yep. Well we are a whole lot better prepared for this war then we were with that one."

"I saw pictures of recruits carrying brooms instead of rifles. Wooden boxes on bicycle wheels marked as tanks. We were really not ready for WW2."

Axton was thoughtful. Parker appeared to have settled down pretty quickly. And her observations were dead on. This was early; but it was a good sign. They needed good people in the Ordnance Company and the reality was they did not have many. They were understrength, undertrained, and while the new captain had made some strides and had gotten rid of the worst of the dead wood, what was left might be competent but not very well trained.

They pulled up to the guard shack of the ASP. Axton was glad to see that the guard had been reinforced already.

"Sergeant Nolan. Have you been briefed?"

"Just been told to lock down and be ready. Some rumors flying around."

"Two planes hit the world trade center in New York. It was not an accident. World Wide we are at Defcon 3."

"Oh, shit."

"Yeah. The Captain will be down soon. This is Private Parker, fresh from Benning. We will need to modify the roster."

"Gotcha Sarge. Let's get to work."

Liz quickly signed some forms; and kept copies. Luckily the sergeant had old fashioned carbon paper. There was no copier around. In 15 minutes they were headed to the bunker where the division Unit Load Small arms were located. This was the ready ammo; the immediate go to war ammo if war came to Ft Stewart. Axton had Liz start to make out generic 1348-1 forms, to issue ammunition to troops. Liz made out some with what she knew would be security and guard force ammo. Leaving out units and amounts. Just filling in the other details.

It was not long before some forklifts showed up. Axton had a copy of the planograph for that bunker, which showed where everything was and who it belonged too. Though luckily most of the pallets had placards on them identifying which units they belonged to. Working on instinct, Liz had the drivers pull out the Ammo for the MP company, and the current guard unit that would be used as the reactionary force. That force would back up the MP and Guards if something happened.

Axton came back from the gate and observed what Parker was doing. She was an E2 now but her uniform had not changed since she was not an E2 until she reported in. No matter. She had the drivers moving anyway. And he approved what she was doing. Girl had a head on her shoulders.

Liz had had some time and had gone through some scenarios back at Benning. She had asked the instructor what would be issued first in an emergency and he had given her an idea. She had worked a little on it herself in her spare time. That was what she was working off of; she had her notes with her.

Captain Simmons saw Axton at the Gate checking out the trucks that had already shown up. Some commercial loads were waiting and had been secured with some MPS. Luckily nothing important.

"Sergeant. How are we doing?"

"Good so far Sir. When the first units show up looking for ammo we should be ready. Parker has a head on her shoulders; she already has the forklift drivers pulling out pallets of the ready force and for the Guards and MPs."

"Well that is good. Because so far none of the other MOS 98B's have shown up."

Axton looked at him and shook his head. Not that he was surprised; they only had 3 others right now and none of them had been here that long or knew that much. Sad to say, Parker might be the best he had. Axton was an 89B and experienced, but the Captain had been regular infantry and had not had much of a chance to learn since he had been sorting out the mess the ordnance company had been.

Almost immediately trucks and hummers started showing up with officers and sergeants screaming for Ammunition. Captain Simmons had gotten through to the EOC and they had told him to only issue ammo to the MPs and Reaction force. To be ready for more but not to issue more. He was happy to hear that; he did not want everyone running around with lots of ammo right now. Too many people were way too jumpy.

Isabelle sat in her truck and shook her head. She looked at Tess and Maria who were in the cab with her. The transportation company, where all three were currently assigned, wanted their ammo. They had been sent to the ASP to get some. Tess voiced her thoughts.

"I really do not want everyone around here with a fully loaded rifle."

Maria snorted. "That is for sure."

Isabelle smirked. "Especially you."

"Hey!"

Maria grinned anyway then had a thought and grabbed her personal cell phone.

The other two looked at her. Maria winked. "Calling Liz. I bet she is already at the ASP."

Liz took a deep breath and sat down on a half pallet of 5.56 ball. The last hour had been a rush. Captain Simmons had remained firm and had maintained only a few units- the Reaction Force and the MP's- would get their full combat loads. No one else. Needless to say there were a few at the entrance raising hell about that. Liz had already filled out and issued the ammo to those units; Sergeant Axton had countersigned. So far so good. Looked like she would get a moment to relax. She was glad she had brought some water with her. They needed some here. Then her cell phone went off.

"Maria? You at the gate? No way. Nope. You can let your captain know that this is from the General. Only the reaction force and the MPS get their bullets and that has already happened. It's going to take a brigade commander at the least to get any more. Yeah got that from Sergeant Axton who got that from Captain Simmons."

Maria nodded and looked at Isabelle. "You want to tell the Captain?"

She grimaced. "Not really."

Suddenly there a thumping on the door. Isabelle opened it to their Captain.

"Evans, what is the hold up?"

"Captain, just got talking to someone we know inside the ASP. Only the MPs and Guard Reaction force will be getting issued anything else then what they have in their guard rooms. No one else is getting a spare bullet from the ASP and that is from the General."

"Damn. I just found out that just before he left on vacation Lt Short turned in all but 300 rds into the ASP. That is all the whole transportation company has."

The three women groaned. Maria looked thoughtful.

"Liz. Listen, we had a dumbshit Lt turn in all but a few magazines on Friday. The whole company has zip. Is there anything you can do? OK."

Maria looked at the captain. "Our friend inside will see what she can do."

"Who is this friend?"

"Liz Parker, fresh from Benning and an 89B. From what I have heard she might be the only one in there right now."

Liz closed her phone and bit her lip. She sighed and looked for the Sergeant. He was talking to a couple of others and she went up to them.

"Sergeant, can we do anything for the transportation company of the 1st Brigade. They had a dumb Lt turn in all but 300 rds on Friday. Which is not even their guard force quota. Then he went on leave."

Axton shook his head. "Well I can guess that is one shavetail that will have his tail really shaved when he gets back. Not sure, Parker. Let's go talk to the Captain."

Captain Simmons was sitting in the guard shack. He had ordered the guards to let no one in unless they had orders from at least a brigade commander. He had called the ASP office and had found out some worse news; neither QASAS was on post. One was on leave and not due back until Friday, and the other had taken emergency leave due to a death in the family-and had left on Monday. They were both halfway across the country and with all aircraft being ordered to land it was a cinch that neither one would be back in the next few days. He looked up as Axton and Parker came into the shack.

"Captain, we got a request. Parker, fill him in."

Simmons listened for a minute. "If anyone sees another unit leaving with ammo it will raise hell. But I do see their problem."

Liz thought for a minute. "Captain, what if someone shows up with say water and such for us; we need it. And they can leave with some ammo and no placards; we can go with security reasons for the no placards."

Axton and Simmons looked at each other and then at Liz. Simmons shook his head.

"Sneaky, Parker, but not illegal. OK. Tell them to bring what we need in a hummer and we will let them go out with some ammo."

Maria listened and shook her head. "Wow, Liz is sneaky."

She looked at the Captain. "Liz cut us a deal. They need water and a few things there; if we bring it in a closed off hummer they will let us out with ammo if we do not use placards to let anyone else know we got some."

The Captain blinked and smiled. "Deal. And that is sneaky, Evans turn in this thing and get a hummer. Get what they need from the office."

An hour later the deal was done and Liz was sipping cold water and had some shade from some Tarps they had been able to set up. Luckily there were some Porta potties nearby. Axton and Simmons were also drinking the first cold drink they had had that morning. Axton grinned at Liz.

"Parker, for a newbie, you catch on fast. First day with your unit and you are cutting deals."

Simmons also grinned. "You might go far; or you might end up in Leavenworth."

Liz blushed a little. "I kind of think that you should obey the regs when you can; but if something needs to get done bending them should be considered."

The Captain and the sergeant nodded. Parker might go far.

After the first day, things settled down. It was not until later in the afternoon that the other 89Bs showed up to get chewed out in sequence by the Sergeant, then the Captain. While they were all just E2's like Liz, they had all been in for longer. Simmons had checked Liz's personnel folder and had whistled at her ASVAB scores; they were high. Quite High. He showed it to Axton while they were eating lunch (still at the ASP courtesy of Liz's friends with the permission of their Captain; he saw the advantage of getting the Ordnance Company commander on his side).

Axton looked at her file and shook his head.

"Captain, lets bump her to E3 now. With these scores, and her performance at Benning, its justified under the situation. Since she has not fully processed in yet, we can bring her in at E3."

"Definitely. That would make sure she can order our other 89Bs around. Which is important. Talk about hitting the ground running. That reminds me; what about her quarters?"

Axton grimaced. "Problem there. I got a call just a few minutes ago that her quarters got reassigned due to the mess. Might have to put her in BEQ."

"Well nuts to that. Listen, the supply company captain might have slots in their quarters. At least for the time being."

"I will talk to them; better yet let Liz talk to her friends."

Liz called Maria. "Maria, I just found out they reassigned the quarters I was supposed to have. You guys got any vacancy's?"

Maria looked at Tess who was with her in the office. "Liz needs quarters. You are without a roomy; how about Isabelle move over with you and Liz can bunk with me?"

"OK with me. I will call Isabelle."

Liz shut down her phone and with a bounce in her stride headed over to tell the Sergeant.

"Sergeant, its fixed. I got quarters with my friends."

"Good. In the meantime head by the PX and get some E3 rank. The Captain is bumping you up."

Liz's eyes grew big. "Really?"

Axton had to grin. For all her maturity, she was still young. "Really."

They did not get out of the ASP until after 5. Liz had the drivers put the pallets back in the bunker. Then the sergeant gave her a ride to her quarters, telling her to be ready to roll at 6 the next morning.

Maria and the others were waiting; they were all gathered around a small tv, showing the news. Liz's happiness took a nose dive as she remembered the day's events. She quietly sat down next to Maria who put an arm around her.

"Heavy day, Chica."

"Yeah."

Not much later they headed over to the mess hall. Even in there they noticed the subdued atmosphere. They managed to get a table in the corner where it was fairly vacant.

Maria and the others took turns telling Liz what had been going on. The military had gone down to DEFCON 4 from 3 when no further attacks had occurred. But the base was still on lockdown; and increased security would become the norm.

Liz smiled when they asked her how things had gone at the ASP.

"Once the majority realized they were getting nothing they left; still had a few try later on but no big deal. And I got a promotion."

Maria goggled. "Already?"

"The Captain is going to have me in processed as an E3 due to the situation."

Tess shook her head. "That was fast; but then you earned it right off the bat anyway. I have been asking around lately and the fact is the ordnance company is not in good shape. Their new captain had to get rid of a lot of dead wood. And you are the first replacement he got."

Isabelle nodded. "The Captain said the same thing; that the Ordnance company is probably going to be asking for people to be assigned temporarily. They are under half strength."

Liz nodded soberly. "Not uncommon for ordnance companies. They get low priority for replacements and promotions so not many want to go there. Which is really stupid for an army; without Ammo you got to throw rocks."

As it turned out Captain Simmons and Sergeant Axton were discussing the same thing. The Captain had just gotten a phone call while he and the sergeant were trying to eat dinner.

"Well that is nice. Division wants to know what our personnel situation is since it looks like we are going to war. I guess we should be grateful we do not have to worry about the rotorheads."

"Yeah, they got their own. But that still leaves one understrength ordnance company for an entire heavy division."

"Well they did say that we could get temporary help until we get more people in. But I already called Benning; there is not a new MOS 89B class due to start until February. Though that might get bumped up."

"At least we got some people who can work the TAMIS and other paper work."

"True. But we are badly short on 89B and really short on competent 89B. You are our only really experienced man. Parker is really good but no experience."

"Got a chance to talk to the today. She is a real bookworm. Has all her course material with her and also talked her instructor into giving her all the advanced material. Which she was looking through even today. She spent a lot of her down time at Benning reading and learning more. I asked some questions that she gave good answers too that not many with several years in would be able to answer well. She has the theory down pat; just needs experience. Odds are that we are not going to move for months at least; so we can work her hard. Might even be able to get something out of the rest of them."

"Well until our QASAS get back we are very short on ammo knowledge. And our division LAR is not going to be much help; he is getting sent to FORSCOM HQ to help plan things there."

"Realistically Captain, nothing is going to happen for a while. But I do want to talk to the QASAS and have them come down to the ASP and try and get some more knowledge drilled into our people."

Liz groaned as she rolled over; it was just before 5; no point in trying to stay in bed. She got up and managed to not wake Maria and headed for the showers. She preferred to take her time. Sitting under the shower felt real good; some of the tension started to work its way out. She was so glad to have her friends nearby. The world had changed drastically in the last 24 hours.

Still yawning she padded back to their room. She had laid out her uniform; and Maria had made a point of sewing on her new rank last night. The Captain had told her to hit Personnel at 6; he was going to be there and wanted her all processed. She got dressed and headed to the bus stop; it started at 0530 and would take her right to personnel.

Captain Simmons headed to Personnel early; he wanted to get Liz squared away. He found her waiting; just as he got to the door they opened up.

Pushing hard, the Captain got Liz in processed by 9. With her new rank. The Personnel officer grumbled about that but shut up when Simmons offered to call Division HQ. They headed to the mess hall and met Axton for Breakfast; he had been working the office early to start dealing with the mountain of paperwork that 9/11 was already generating.

The three sat; the two men somewhat astounded by how much the petite young woman was able to pack away. Axton could not believe it.

"Parker, do you have a hollow leg or what?"

"Did not eat a whole lot yesterday Sarge, and wanted to make up for it. This way I can go till dinner with no break and be fine. Gotta hunch things are not going to slow down for a while until it becomes obvious that we are not going anywhere for several months at least."

Simmons was interested. "So you think so?"

"Captain, Afghanistan is where they are; not much use for a heavy division there. The Russians learned that the hard way. Hopefully we do not have to learn it the hard way as well. So unless something changes we are not going anywhere."

Axton and Simmons looked at each other and grinned. Axton snickered.

"Well, Private Parker, you would be glad to know that your wisdom seems to be shared by division. They also stated that no deployment is expected for some time; but training will be accelerated. Which is good. This division needs some serious training before going anywhere."

Finishing breakfast, they headed back to the office.

Axton had already gotten Liz an office; she would be supervising the other 89Bs under Axton. Right at this time the ordnance company only had one other officer, a LT Rogers. He was very busy working the ASP as they started to look at the ammo and thinking about what needed to be looked at. Once the QASAS got back, an increased inspection program would go into effect. Rogers would be in charge of moving the ammo to the inspection building and back. Simmons wanted the entire ordnance company to get as much practice moving ammo and handling it as possible.

Liz settled into work; she had been explicitly assigned to start drawing up plans to see how much transportation it would take to move a divisions worth of ammunition for an overseas deployment. Now much of the ammunition the division would use would come from elsewhere, but no Division commander wanted to depend on someone else for ammo when he got to the theatre; he wanted some with him. They would only be able to fly a small amount; the rest would have to go by ship. Ideally they wanted the ships to head out first; the troops and other equipment would arrive at a faster rate. Much of them would be flown. Simmons told Liz to get in touch with division G4 to see what space would be available to them during a division deployment.

The next few days went by quickly as things began to settle down; and people realized that the 3rd would not be going anywhere anytime soon. Simmons was able to push and get an advanced training curriculum for the ordnance company. Both QASAS were back and they had agreed to start teaching ammunition surveillance; the inspection and classification of ammunition. Liz would make it a point to be there for all those sessions. She knew enough to know just how much she had to learn.

The other three looked surprised but not shocked. Tess was first. One month later and they were gathered that Sunday night to see the first units heading out to go to Afghanistan on TV. None of the 3rd was going as expected; but the training was being stepped up in all areas.

Simmons sat back and rubbed his neck; did not matter what he did the bottom line was he did not have enough people; and what he did have needed more training. The QASAS were helping, but there was just so much time that he could spare his people to learn from them. Division had told him that since the 3rd was not going anywhere for a while they would not get any more 89B's for the time being. The new class at Benning would be double the normal size, but they would all be swallowed up by other units higher on the pecking order for deployment. Already the signs were there that Iraq might be next. But not for a while. Meantime only light units were going to Afghanistan. Right now he had all he could do to support the increased training tempo. He had a meeting scheduled with the Division G4, for all intents and purposes his boss. The ordnance company was usually considered a division asset and came under division control. There were plans to change the organization of the division to make up a sustainment brigade which would have all the support units under it. Simmons was not all that sure that would help much; just another layer of command.

Simmons was well aware that as a captain he was probably the most junior officer in the room. There were a major or two, but just about everyone else was a light colonel or higher. The Divisions commanding general and his deputy commander were in attendance. This was a meeting to see what units were in what shape for a possible deployment in the next 6 months to a year. G4 was just about to give the briefing for the division support units.

Colonel Hough, 3rd Infantry Division G4, stood at the projector.

"In summation, our division support units are at a yellow level; 70% as regards manning; somewhat lower as regards training. This has been discussed before 9/11 and priority was given to other areas." The commanding general shifted at that; he had been the one to give that order. Which was now coming to bite him on the ass. Bottom line was the division support was not ready for a deployment now; and might not be in 6 months.

"Transportation is in the best shape; it is fully green at 91%." He then went from there to steadily decreasing numbers and readiness.

"Ordnance Company is red. It is at 50% manning; and even lower in training."

At that the general decided enough was enough.

"OK. Division support is lousy. That is the fact of the matter. It was allowed to be that way by myself and previous commanders and that was not smart and now it's biting us in the ass. So I want a plan to bring them all to Green levels in 6 months. Combat units that are at 95% can be raided for personnel. If you need me to lean on TRADOC or someone else for more trained personnel I want specifics. Odds are that I will not get a lot of what I want so I want to go for what is important. I want a plan in one week. That is all."

Sometime later all the Division support unit commanders were in the conference room at G4. Hough looked at his commanders.

"In 3 days I want exactly what you need and how many. By grades and specs and MOS's. Captain Simmons, will you remain behind?"

After they all left Hough looked at Simmons.

"You were there. The General now knows how far the Ordnance Company is down the crapper. I take it you cannot get any more 89Bs from Benning?"

"No sir. I doubt the General will be able to pry any loose without FORSCOM having to do the heavy lifting."

"I am not sure he can get much help there for the time being. So we are going to have to make do with what we got. Just how bad is your situation?"

"You know about the 89B's so no point in talking about them. I am lucky in that Sergeant Axton is highly experienced; and I got a new 89B that showed up on the morning of 9/11 fresh from Benning and dived right in and did a fine job. But that is it. Now as regards handlers, I am at 75%. Not too bad. If I could get a couple more that would be great. Material wise we are good. What I do need are some drivers and supply specialists who can help with the paperwork and the TAMIS systems."

Hough had been taking notes. "OK. So what exactly do you need to go green?"

"6 Drivers; 2 handlers; 4 supply techs; and a couple of officers smart enough to learn and get out of the way of the people that already know."

"But that still leaves the 89B's."

"Yes sir but that is the way it is."

"True. Without anymore 89B's can you really go green?"

Simmons took a deep breath and looked the Colonel in the eye.

"NO. The only way would be if when we deploy we have a LAR or QASAS in direct support. Frankly we should have one no matter what but in our situation it would be a critical need."

Hough slowly nodded.

The Transportation Company commander was talking to his people at a hastily called meeting.

"OK people this is from division. You know the situation with the support units; they want to beef them up. We are going to be getting some more people from Combat; qualified drivers of vehicles but with very little experience in what we do. In turn I have been told that since we are full up on supply techs that we are going to have to send some drivers and techs to the Ordnance company." The people looked at each other then at him.

"Now I am going to be honest; the odds are that any transfers that are done will be permanent. So think about that. Anyone who wants to volunteer see your sergeants first. That is all."

Isabelle, Tess and Maria huddled up at lunch time. Maria started off.

"So what do you guys think? Want to join the bomb guys and be with Liz?"

Isabelle shrugged. "I am driving a truck no matter what. Maybe it's not so good to be driving something that can blow up but not much change really. This company is ok but from what Liz has told us the Ordnance Company is pretty well led and would be more interesting."

Tess nodded. "Paper work is paperwork and I do have experience at TAMIS."

Maria smiled. "Well OK then let's start it going. The Four Musketeers will be united once again!"

Liz knocked on the door outside of Captain Simmons office.

"You wanted to see me, Captain?"

"Come on in Liz and take a seat."

Liz did so and waited.

"We are getting transfers in from Transportation. 4 drivers and 2 supply techs. Here are their names." And he gave her a slip of paper. Liz read it and her eyes widened and a smile came to her face. Simmons chuckled.

"Don't ever play poker, Liz, or you will get cleaned out."

Liz blushed a little. "This is good news for me, Captain. And for the company. The two techs and one of the drivers I do know and they are good at what they do."

Liz met the others for dinner that Friday night. Now two months post 9/11 and things had slowed down some though the increased training pace had been maintained. Either Liz or Sergeant Axton was on call on the weekends to handle any ammo situations that did not require a QASAS or EOD. They had traded off and this weekend Liz was free; the first one since she had gotten to Ft Stewart.

"So Chica what can we expect down there where things go boom?"

"Captain Simmons is a stand up Guy and so is Sergeant Axton. Lt Rogers is OK; Isabelle will be the only one to have any time with him. He is quiet and somewhat rough and brusque but once you show you can do your job he will leave you alone. Sergeant Smith is the office guy; he is a wiz at TAMIS and he is chained to that machine pretty much 24/7. Maria, you and Tess will be helping him out. We got a serious backlog of paperwork that has to be filled and taken care of. And we will be updating the division deployment plans in three months. That will be a load. But outside of that it should be calm. Isabelle, you will be working hard for the first month or so; but after that it will slow down."

The girls nodded. Maria as usual had to get sidetracked.

"So any real gorgeous guys?"

They all laughed and Liz snorted. "Have not had the time to check really. But not really. I have been busy as all get out since Axton and I am the only really qualified 89Bs. The other three are space fillers. Captain Simmons specifically authorized me to sign 1348-1 issue documents despite me not being of sufficient rank. He got the Division G4 to sign off on it and even got the JAG to put in a legal opinion that since we do not have any more 89B's then the situation is similar to combat."

Tess looked shocked. "Wow. That is something else."

The other two agreed. Liz shrugged. "Captain Simmons told me that he and the division G4 were doing it this way so that if someone made a stink, they could force those same someone's to explain why we were refused any more 89Bs and were told to stop even asking. That would turn the blowtorch right up the ladder all the way to FORSCOM and above."

Maria shook her head. "Why is it so hard to get any more, Liz?"

"I called up the instructor I knew at Ft Benning and talked to one of the QASAS here. They both told me the same thing. The Army has ignored ammunition for 20 years; they downgraded the importance of ammo specs to the point that PR personnel are considered more important. So no one ever wants to go into it. You do not get any gongs or any help in getting promotions if you are an 89B. And they still refuse to flat out assign people and tell them that they are going to be an 89B and to like it. Until they do this is what is going to happen."

Isabelle snorted. "Until they go to war and it all hits the fan and they scream for more,that will not happen."

"Yep."

That weekend all four went shopping in Savannah, and wandered around to see the sights. It was the most fun Liz had had in a very long time. The situation being what it was, Liz had not been able to get any leave over Christmas. So Nancy had come over to spend time with her. It was a good time.

Gradually things got better in the Ordnance Company. They were brought up to strength, or close to it, in all areas except 89B. Over the next several months, the divisional support units crept closer and closer to green level. By the time the 6 month point had been reached, it was done. But it had been close.

Captain Simmons had just gotten back from a meeting at Division and had called ahead for all his senior people to be waiting in his office. Lt Rogers, Sergeants Axton and Smith, and Liz were wondering what was going on. Rogers, as usual, was pessimistic.

"Divisional Parade. They want lots of firecrackers."

Simmons came in and told Liz to close the door. Then he sat at his desk.

"The General has decided to run a sudden divisional exercise; to see what shape the division would be if we can a sudden notice to deploy the entire division. We will be loading trucks and moving supplies and everyone will draw all equipment. Which means divisional support carries the can. This is really designed to see what shape Divisional support is in since we are supposedly in the green now. The warning will hit at 0800 tomorrow morning. Get ready people, but DO not tell anyone outside this office."

Liz stood outside for a bit; it was early March and just starting to warm up; luckily the weather looked good for the next several days. She had been over time coming up with plans if something like this happened; now she would see how good those plans were.

Liz had quietly told Isabelle that tomorrow would be busy; she got the message; she did the same with Maria and Tess. Not giving them any specifics that evening.

Liz forced herself to do regular work that next morning. Then the alarm went off like it had those months ago.

"People we have a divisional deployment order. Let's get cracking."

Over the next 12 hours there was bedlam. Liz and Sergeant Axton camped out at the ASP. By 1700 they had loaded over 100 trucks with close to 2000 tons of ammunition and so far nothing had been damaged and nothing had been dropped. The trucks were then moved to a holding area and secured for the night. The rest of the base once again looked like a kicked over beehive. At 2200 the General decided he had seen enough and called the exercise finished.

Liz sat down exhausted on a batch of empty pallets. They had brought out portable lights for the ASP. She looked at Sergeant Axton.

"What do you think?"

He shrugged. "We did fine; exceeded requirements. How the rest of the division did, who knows."

Sometime later Captain Simmons came by.

"Lock up the mags. We are done. Be back by 0600 tomorrow morning; we have to put all that back in the bunkers."

Liz rode with Axton back to the office, almost asleep. Isabelle stopped by and picked her, Maria and Tess up and they grabbed a quick bite to eat and then flopped into bed at their quarters. To Liz it seemed like she had barely hit the pillow when the alarm went off. Maria groaned and muttered something about killing that clock as she hid under her pillow. But they dragged themselves out and got to the office at 0600. Liz headed to the ASP and got to work. It was not until 1500 that they got the last of the trucks unloaded and the ammo into the magazines. Then it took another hour to finish everything else so that people could be done. The whole company gathered at the office.

Captain Simmons looked around. "The Ordnance company passed with flying colors; we got it done ahead of time coming and going. No breakage or accidents or injuries. Head off people; you did well."

By consensus they all trooped to the mess hall and ate then back to the rooms and crashed. They were all sound asleep by 1800.

The next day Liz was sitting in her office; she actually did not have much paperwork to do since she had taken it with her and did it in every free moment during the last two days. Sergeant Axton stuck his head in the door.

"The Captain wants to see us."

Liz noticed it was just the three of them in the office. Axton closed the door.

"Liz, I want to say you did a real fine job. You hit this post running and have not slowed down. 6 months and you have exceeded all expectations. So I have put you in for promotion to E4. I do not think it will take any time at all."

Liz smiled. "Thank you Captain."

"You earned it. Now there might be some sniping from some others – ignore it. You have this promotion coming. The preliminary report from Division is that we just barely overall got it done; but it was close and some areas failed. Overall the General is not too mad; but he wants better. We did very well so we will probably get some recognition. That is how I plan to work your promotion."

Liz was smiling at lunch that day. The others noticed it.

"OK, Chica, spill. What has got you floating on air?"

"I am getting promoted again."

"You earned it Liz. You are doing the job of about three people and you do it well."

Isabelle was next. "Definitely. Actually six months is not that fast, really. Though of course you got that jump getting here."

Maria grinned. "Going to be a lifer, Liz?"

Liz sat back with a pensive face. They all realized that she was actually thinking about it.

"You know, I have not thought about it, but that is actually a possibility. But I have not even been in one year yet. This has been a real good posting for me; a great Sergeant and a good Captain. Good people mostly around me. You guys here. In 5 years I might be counting the days if I reupped and got a lousy assignment. So who knows? But I have to admit that something one year ago that I would not have considered for a moment actually seems like it might be possible."

Liz had not been spending much; and frankly had not had the opportunity if she had wanted to. She was starting to accumulate some nice savings. She had been considering getting a small car to wander around in. She went out with the girls in Isabelle's car so the need had not been there. But she had to consider the future. Living on post, with very few expenses, she had been able to save almost $1000 a month. She could buy a decent small car outright. At this rate in 4 years she would have enough to do an instate college 4 year program with help from the GI Bill. But she still did not have an idea what she wanted to do. Nothing seemed to jump out at her. The other girls had been looking at getting an apartment off post. Liz frankly did not feel the need. Maybe it was working so hard; maybe growing up in Worland had made her so self-sufficient that the idea of moving into town away from the base just did not seem necessary.

Liz continued to think about this over the next few months. The Divisional Support companies got better and the general did not call for another exercise. But the situation with Iraq began to get more and more serious and the signs were there that it might be next. And this was a campaign where it was almost a given that the 3rd would be deployed. It was just a matter of how much of the division would go. As time went by it began to look like the whole division would be going.

By October, it was no surprise when the word quietly went down that they would be deployed starting in January. The division would go to Kuwait, then go into Iraq from there. Liz was glad she had put off getting a car.

It was no secret but no one talked about it much. They just began to get ready. It was let out that the deployment would begin right after New Years. Liz then got leave approved to visit her mother.

The day before Liz left to visit her mother, the 21st of December, she looked around her office. Captain Simmons had let her know that her promotion to E5 would come just before they began to deploy. Liz was not all that sure she wanted this latest one; she would be a sergeant, and really in the supervisory chain. Which meant more paperwork. They still had not gotten anymore 89B's; but the company was otherwise at full strength. Sergeant Axton had told her with a smirk that they were promised two more at least by May. Of course by then they would be in Iraq almost certainly. Not likely they would actually get them where they needed them.

Nancy Parker looked across the kitchen table at her daughter. Elizabeth had grown in confidence and assurance; Liz had made sure that she kept up a strict workout regimen; she might be fitter than she had ever been before. Her baby was grown up now; even if she was only 19. Liz had told her they would be deploying to Kuwait in January; waiting to head into Iraq. Her baby was going to war. Nancy Parker had never been particularly religious; but now she was praying daily.

The Day before she left, December 27, 2002, Liz Parker walked outside of the little house in Worland, Wyoming. It was not too cold by Worland Standards; only 5 degrees. Above zero. Not a lot of wind. It was a bleak but beautiful land. Liz walked around a little; sniffed the cold air. Then went back into the house.

The official order came down on 7 January, 2003. The entire division would deploy to Kuwait. They had already made the plans and gone over them several times. Time to put them into effect.

Within 2 weeks a lot of work had been done; the Ordnance Company had managed to squeeze a fair amount of ammo onto the planes carrying equipment and men. Liz had carefully gone over the regulations of military air in contingency operations; and had suggested to Captain Simmons that every vehicle going over have its combat load on board. He had taken that to G4, who told the general that would be one way to make sure the division had a fair amount of ammo of its own ready to go. The general had taken the ball and run with it to FORSCOM then CENTCOM. And they had agreed. The Air Force raised hell but was told to sit down and shut up. But that made the job of the ordnance company a lot tougher as they were tasked with making sure that every vehicle with ammo on board had all the necessary paperwork and the load was properly packaged when necessary and secure. Liz spent every day, virtually, at the Air Field checking vehicles and loads off of the master list that Maria and Tess had made up.

Liz had learned a lot about ammunition in the past year; she haunted the offices of the QASAS (one of whom would indeed as promised deploy with the division) trying to cram in as much as she could. Both QASAS had told her that if she wanted to get out, she would have no trouble being a QASAS. Liz had thought about that; it was a possibility.

By February 21, they were on their way to Iraq. Liz had quietly been able to avoid the Anthrax vaccines with a little help from the health clinic; she wanted no part of that mess. Captain Simmons and Sergeant Axton had agreed and had also managed to wiggle out of them. Same with Maria and Tess and Isabelle.

They had gotten together the day before Isabelle would be going; Maria and Tess would follow soon after; Liz last making sure that as much ammo as they could fit on board would be coming with them.

They had gone off post into Savannah to a nice restaurant Isabelle had found. It was a fairly quiet meal. All four of them were well aware that life was about to get a whole lot less safer. Finally Maria had offered a toast with the Champagne they had ordered.

"To the Four Musketeers. When this is over and we are back, we will be back here drinking the same year of Champagne."

Kuwait was dusty but not too hot; and very dry. February 28, 2003 was normal for Kuwait. This was the 12 th Anniversary of the end of the first war with Iraq. Now they were going to finish the job. The camp that the third had set up was one huge community of tents. Liz looked around the command tent for the ordnance company.

"The scary thing is guys, that this might be the most comfortable we will get for a long time to come."

Maria threw a ball of paper at her.

"Thank you, SERGEANT, for your work on uplifting the moral of your people."

They steadily worked towards getting the units ready to go. There was not a lot of room for all the ammo that they had ready to go; they barely had the required distance to the camps from the temporary ASP that had been set up. It was tentatively thought that sometime after the 18th of March would be the go date. The Air Force would drop a lot before the ground pounders went in.

Liz checked the paperwork one more time then looked up at the clock. It was midnight on the 19th of March. It would not be long. The 3rd was as ready as it could be. The ASP would remain in Kuwait until the 3rd was at least 50 miles into Iraq. Then they would move half way to the front. Then would wait until the 3rd got to Baghdad before moving again. The hope was they would only have to move the ASP twice, but Liz was skeptical. One thing about being deployed; in one respect things got simpler. The ordnance company only had to move the ASP and set it up and issue from it. While the war was going on they would not be receiving much back. And they would not be worrying about residue. They would not have to actually transport the ammunition to the front.

Then they heard the first bombs going off. All four of them left the tent; in the distance you could see the flashes and hear the thuds. After a while they went back inside and got back to work.

It took 10 days before the ASP moved. Just after the big sandstorm, the ASP moved into Iraq. It took 2 days almost around the clock to do it; they were completely exhausted by the time it was done. Liz and the others curled up in a tent and slept like logs for 12 hours. Liz found herself strangely calm about entering Iraq. They had a full company of Infantry plus a company of Abrams watching over them as they moved the whole ASP in one convoy of almost 100 vehicles. And a squadron of Apache's overhead. It had been decided to keep at least 3 days full balls to the wall war unit of issue ammo with the ASP. Which was probably a lot more than they would need but it was a case of better too much than not enough.

10 days later they moved again, nearer to Baghdad. It was decided that they would stay there for the time being. As it turned out they stayed for longer than that. It had always been decided that a clear area, near a major road but not in or near any village or town was the best place to be. And that is what they did. Milvans and Hescos were brought in and burms bulldozed to separate the various loads. The QASAS directed the operation; Liz taking lots of notes. In three days they had almost 4000 tons of ammunition there. For the next week they worked at getting everything going smoothly. The 3rd was driving on Baghdad, and it was thought that it would be about a week before the city would be taken; if there was no desperate house to house defence.

April 9 the 3rd was right at the city gates; Liz was listening to some reports coming in at the command tent. The feeling was that this would not last much longer. Then Captain Simmons came in.

"Liz, they want a pile of ammunition moved to this point" showing her the map coordinates "they are going to be moving west with the 3rd brigade. They want a field ASP here."

Liz looked at the map then at him. "How much is a pile?"

"A full unit of issue for the brigade."

Liz winced. That was a pile. The paperwork alone would be fun. But they had plans for field ASP's; Liz had just hoped they would not be building any.

She tracked down the QASAS and he shook his head as well; but pulled out the plans and they looked at them. Sergeant Axton came by and told Liz that she would be the ASP rep there. He and the Captain had to stay with the main ASP. Liz nodded; a little nervous but she felt she was ready.

2 days later another massive convoy was going down the road; over 50 heavy trucks loaded with artillery and mortar ammunition; machine gun and rifle bullets; 40MM grenades for the machine guns and the M203's; demolition equipment as well just in case they had to blow it all up and run. Once they got to the spot Liz decided to do it quick and dirty; they had brought a bulldozer with them and some engineers. Going right from the plan Liz had them throw up burms all around the field ASP then burms in the middle and to the sides. She checked the distances carefully to make sure they had the necessary distance so that if one pile went up they all would not go up. The guard force put up concertina all around and set up MGs and firing pits just in case. Liz had grabbed every available milvan and luckily had just enough; she would use them as bunkers. The QASAS came by and signed off on everything; suggesting that they cover the milvans in sand. That was done the next day. By Afternoon of that day Liz was issuing ammunition.

Running a Field ASP singlehanded, just about, Liz found herself busier than a dog with three cats to chase. She slept in the command tent, curled up on a scrounged air mattress; she did not need much in the way of blankets as the area was getting warm even in the night. MRE's were getting old but there was nothing else.

It took the third brigade about a week to finish things off; by that time Baghdad had fallen and things were starting to quiet down. One thing Liz was grateful for was that there were no civilians around. They had fled the area. With the end of major combat operations, Liz found the pressure easing. That was when they started to take sniper fire and the like. So much for things quieting down.

It was more annoying than a threat; the snipers were really lousy shots. They had to fire at such a distance that they barely came close to anyone. Liz just hoped they did not get their hands on any mortars and figure out how to use them. For herself, since the command tent was right in the middle of the field ASP and surrounded by burms, she was not threatened at all. Now if they started to drop mortar rounds in that would be different. She got the engineers to bring in a few steel culverts and had them placed next to the central burms; and then cover the center part with sand. If they had enough warning, they could shimmy into those culverts and be reasonably safe.

Even though she was lonely for her friends, Liz was glad they were safe at the main ASP. She saw Isabelle every other day or so when they brought in more ammo for the Field ASP; but once operations stopped there were no more runs.

Finally on the 28th of April, she was told to prepare to pull back to the main ASP. Glad to hear of it, she got cracking. They found 40 trucks which was enough to take most of it. But that left about 5 trucks worth. So one convoy went off while Liz and a few others waited for them to come back. Looking around, it was decided to not destroy the place; they might need it later. That evening she got word that a transportation company from the 4th ID would finish it off since their own company was busy. Something about that bothered Liz but she did not know what it was. She found out the next day.

Lt Knox was an arrogant idiot. He started telling the troops just to toss the ammo on the truck and Liz faced him down.

"Sergeant I am giving you an order."

"Lt, do you want to be court-martialed? Because if you do just keep it up. This ammo will be properly secured."

Knox made noise but backed down. Liz noticed several members of the company given her the high sign for a job well done. Liz was even more worried now. Finally at 5 PM they were ready and headed out. Riding in the lead Truck, Liz looked around.

"Where is the escort?"

The Driver looked at her. "He sent them ahead."

Liz got a bad feeling.

Just a few miles down the road the lead vehicle with the Lt in it blew up. Liz did not know it but this would later be thought to be the first IED.

Liz got out of the truck, keeping her M4 close at hand; she had made sure she got one with the 40MM M203 and kept plenty of ammo and grenades nearby. The driver was right next to her. Liz grabbed her radio and called back to the rear truck.

"Jose, what is the situation back there?"

"Sarge, we are taking fire."

Liz shook her head. Ambush. The Iraqi's had seen no escort and had moved in. Shame the LT was already dead or Liz would have shot him herself. There was a Hummer with a 40MM MG in it halfway back. It was the most powerful vehicle left. Pulling the driver with her and the others as she crouched and crabwalked down the convoy, she got them all to the Hummer. She took a quick look around the flat terrain then up to the Hummer.

"Pull out and head over to that section over there. Spread the fire around. We will gather there once you make sure it was clear." The little hill was about 200 yds away from the road. The hummer moved at about 10MPH, spraying 40MM HE all around the area. Liz sat and thought for a minute. Then grabbing two of the drivers she went to the second to last truck.

"Use your knives and cut the straps. Those rear boxes are claymores. We might need them. Those boxes over there are 40MM for the MG. Grab them as well."

They dashed over to where the hummer was. The guys carrying the boxes made good time. She had them start to unpack. She told the gunner and driver to get out of the Hummer; it was not armored so they were sitting targets. She was glad to see two other M4's with 203's. The other drivers had also grabbed two boxes of 5.56 and two boxes of 40MM for the 203's. The hill was perfect for defense; it was actually the remains of an old stone house of some kind. The center was depressed which allowed them to gather inside.

Liz tried the radio to get the ASP but got nothing; it was out of range. Good thing the weather was clear and there was a full moon. She had a hunch they would be there for a while.

They had not heard anything for a while when there was a woosh and the rear truck gushed flame. Liz shook her head. RPG. In the next 20 minutes all the trucks went up. In the gathering dusk that was not so bad since there was plenty of light. Right after the last truck was hit the ammunition in the first truck hit began to explode; and they heard some screams. Too bad guys. Liz decided to act. She directed several of the drivers to creep out and set up the claymores as she showed them how to do it. They had 24; she set them up so that she had two rings around their position. That took a while; and it was dark except for the burning trucks. Explosions kept coming now and then; she had a hunch until that stopped the Iraqi's would not move in. She was glad she had remembered to tell the last driver to grab all the water he could. They would need it.

Back at the ASP Captain Simmons was on the radio to Brigade; they had a convoy of trucks overdue. He looked out as it got darker then looked at Sergeant Axton.

"This is bad."

It was almost 10; Liz wondered how long it would be before someone came to look for them. They were about 20 miles from the ASP down a fairly wide road. If they had serious combat power they could just come straight. She kept talking quietly to the other drivers. As it turned out the only other Sergeant had been with the Lt. She was in full command of herself and 14 soldiers.

Brigade was waking up; no one here wanted another Jessica Lynch situation. The Brigade commander contacted the only unit available; a company of Abrams that was normally the main heavy backup for the ASP.

"Captain, I have called in a Spectre to look around; but head down that road ASAP. It will call you as soon as it is on scene."

"Understood Colonel."

Maria, Isabelle and Tess stared at the Abrams heading down the road. Maria said what they all felt.

"God please let them get to Liz in time."

The trucks had burned down and the explosions had stopped. Liz had carefully checked the 40MM that she had for the M203's and was glad that they were all HE. She intended to use them up fast if the Iraqi's rushed them. Then they started to take fire. She designated 6 men in pairs to watch the perimeter on three sides; she and the other 8 watched towards the front and the burned out convoy. The ground was so open and the moon was full; it would be very hard for them to creep up on them. The best way was for them to rush from the cover the burned out trucks gave them. She had a plan for that. She knew they would be watching for someone to use the 40MM on the Hummer. It was exposed and any gunner would not last long.

After about 20 minutes the fire got heavier. She then sighted using M203 and motioned for the other 3 to do the same. They each fired a HE right into the base if trucks. They all hit where they were supposed to and screams came through the night as the shrapnel bit into the Iraqi's. The fire stopped. The screams slowly became moans, then became silent.

The Company commander of the Abrams wanted to go full bore but he had to take it slow; about 10-15 MPH, using their infrared night sites. He hoped the spectre contacted him soon.

One of the men behind her called softly.

"Sarge, I can see a few trying to come at us from behind."

Liz crawled back to the rear. It took a minute but she spotted them. She looked around but could not see any others. They were not quite together. She pulled two of the other M203 launchers beside her and she pointed them out. Then to the others she said.

"Get ready. We are going to hit them with HE and then you unload on them. I not only want to kill them; I want them to get squashed. That should buy us some more time."

Liz took her time aiming. Then she fired, remembering to close her eyes after she pulled the trigger. Two of the four were hit by the HE; they stood up screaming. The other two tried to run but were cut down. The two wounded were rolling on the ground, screaming. One of her men started to raise his weapon but Liz stopped him.

"Them screaming will have an effect on the others."

The Spectre had finally found the Convoy; it was still smoldering; but the infrared showed a group nearby. Then it saw the HE rounds.

"Spectre to Advance; the convoy has burned but we have survivors to the west about 200 yards. They just toasted a few."

"Advance to Spectre; how far from us?"

"About 10 miles. I see nothing on the road between you and them."

"10-4, Spectre, we will expedite."

Liz knew they were about to try something again. She was detecting signs all around. They were going to rush. Well she had the claymores; they were wired so that each side could be fired twice. She pulled everyone into the middle.

"OK people they will try a rush. I will use the claymores. Jones you take this side; Russel this side; Adams that side. I will take this side. Wait until they get close and fire once."

She had the 203's one to each side. They would fire HE that would give them some cover.

15 minutes later they came from all sides. Almost simultaneously there were blasts on all four sides and more Iraqi's screamed. Then Liz ordered HE. A couple more were killed. Then it got quiet as the last groans were silenced as Liz ordered all the bodies shot again.

The Spectre commander wandered what they were using down there besides the grenades. Whatever they had was working. They had counted over 40 bodies around the position. He had almost opened fire when they detected the infiltration; but whoever was in command down there knew what they were doing.

Liz wondered what was next. It was almost 2200; where was the relief?

"Spectre, this is advance. We are about 2 miles from your position on the map. Confirm."

"Advance, we see you. We will drop flares in 5 minutes.

Liz looked around – she thought she heard something. Then she looked up; she could just barely see something – it looked like a large airplane.

Suddenly the night was gone; several flares were falling; it was almost as bright as mid day. Blinking, Liz looked around. Then she knew what had happened. A Spectre had dropped flares. She sat back.

"People Stay down. Don't get yourselves shot now."

Then for the first time in hours the radio squawked.

"Convoy, this is Company A of the 1st Armor brigade. We are coming up to you – we are about one mile away and closing. Spectre will continue to drop flares."

Liz closed her eyes for a minute. Then keyed the mike.

"Company A, glad to see you. Come on ahead. Has spectre given you our position?"

"10-4, Convoy. We know where you are. Just sit right there and we will pick you up."

"10-4 Company A."

There were prayers and several of men were unashamedly weeping; as was Liz.

"Guys when the tankers get close let's fire off the last of the claymores. Throw everything in the hummer and we will either take it with us or blow it up."

The tankers came up and several of them flanked Liz's position just in case.

"Company A, we have some claymores that we will fire to prevent capture. We also have an operational hummer. DO we bring it or blow it?"

"Convoy, Blow it. We will partial you guys out one to a tank and make a speed run back."

"Sounds good, Company A. Blowing claymores now."

They blew the claymores and then waited until the tanks got close. The guys ran, one to a tank. Liz waited until they were all safe then fired her M203 into the Hummer; it started to burn as she dashed to the lead tank. She leapt up onto the turret and the figure there pointed down the hatch. Liz had never been in an Abrams before; it was kind of cramped once the captain had closed the hatch.

"Captain James. How many did you lose?"

"Sergeant Parker. Just the stupid LT that caused all of this and his sergeant in the lead truck. Not sure if it was a mine or a RPG. No one else was even wounded."

"Well that is a whole lot better than we could have hoped. Looks like you racked up a pretty good body count from what the Spectre said."

Liz grimaced. "Yeah I guess. All I cared about was getting everyone back safe."

The captain thought he had rarely seen a cuter sergeant. He contacted the ASP to let them know the good news.

Captain Simmons grabbed for the mike. "This is ASP, come in Company A."

"This is company A. We have them all. Sergeant Parker reports two KIA; the LT and his sergeant. No other wounds. ETA about 30 minutes."

Captain Simmons sat down hard. "We owe you Company A."

"Glad to be of assistance."

Maria and the others were all crying. They had feared the worst.

Riding in an Abrams was an experience; all that metal moving at a speed that Liz bet was near 50MPH. Kind of bumpy to say the least. She just held on.

The Brigade commander sat down and took a deep breath. That had been close. Whoever was in command there had done real well. He looked at his XO.

"Division is going to want to know what happened. Why the hell that convoy had no escort. I want you down there in the morning asking questions. And I want answers."

Division indeed wanted answers. Word about the convoy had gotten out to the reporters; normally they did not have much to do with the support companies so not many hung around there. What had happened with the Jessica Lynch convoy was still reverberating around the commands. No Convoy went any distance without serious escort. This one had violated that rule large. Division wanted scalps.

Liz started to hop off the tank then hesitated, turned to the tank Commander and laid a big one on him, to the cheers of the gathered crowd. She hopped down and was engulfed by Maria, Tess and Isabelle. Liz felt as good at that moment as she had ever had in her entire life. After they let her go she walked up to Captain Simmons and saluted.

" Sir, regret to inform you that all the ammunition in that convoy was lost. But I do have the paperwork so we can account for all of it. None of our vehicles were in the convoy. I was the only person from our company there. The only losses were the Lt of the transportation company and his sergeant."

Simmons returned her salute. "Good Job Parker. Now I want you to get in the command tent and write up your report while it's still fresh. Do not leave out any detail no matter what."

Drinking a cold coke and knawing on a MRE cookie, Liz went over everything that happened from the time the first convoy left until she hopped into the tank. She decided to tone down the conflict with the Lt as regards strapping down the ammunition. But left nothing else out. That took about an hour. Maria and the others were right with her. As soon as she was done she gave the report to the Captain and they all puppy pilled in one of the tents and were asleep in minutes.

Captain Simmons and Sergeant Axton went over the report. After they had both read it Captain Simmons sat back.

"Well it's a good thing that Lt is dead or he would be fried anyway."

Axton nodded. "Total moron. Broke every rule in the book and no common sense as well." The two men then sacked out for the rest of the night.

Liz groaned as she slowly woke up. She could tell it was daylight; she was alone in the tent. The others had been careful not to wake her; but Liz figured it would have taken the crack of doom to have broken into her sleep that night. Feeling seriously grungy she wobbled out of the tent and visited the nearest portapotty.

Lt Colonel James, Brigade XO, had arrived at the ASP at 0800. Captain Simmons gave him the report Liz had written. He read it and shook his head. Then he made it a point to talk to the Company A commander. He had been given a copy of the report filed by the Spectre commander. Then he talked to Simmons.

"Well it seems straightforward. That Lt is better off dead then what he would be going through now. Though I am willing to bet there would have been no survivors if he had not been killed right off the bat. I want to talk to Sergeant Parker."

"We let her sleep in this morning sir."

"Well she earned it. Have the other survivors given their statements?"

"They are doing that right now Sir."

Liz stopped by the mess tent and got something to eat; the heated MRE's were better but not that much. She really wanted a shower but knew she should check in at the command tent. The arrival of a portable shower just 10 days ago had been a huge morale booster.

The Colonel and the Captain were quietly talking when Liz walked into the tent.

Colonel James took a good look at Sergeant Parker. Tiny thing, cute as a button, dirty as all get out. There was fire in her eyes, though. She came to attention and saluted.

"At east, Sergeant. This should only take a few minutes, then you can catch a shower and a change of uniform. I have read your report. I have just one question: did the Lt give any reason why he had released the escort?"

"None sir. Actually I did not notice until we were moving."

"I have talked to the escort commander and chewed him a new one. He should NOT have left even if the vehicles were not leaving. There was not enough security there."

Liz bit her lip but stayed quiet.

"Well Sergeant I can definitely say this. You conducted yourself professionally and well. You took charge of a cluster not of your own making and got almost everyone out in one piece. Now go on and get cleaned up."

Liz saluted and got out of there. She hit the portable shower in 15 minutes and stayed there as long as she could stand it. Then got on clean underwear and a fairly clean uniform. Then headed back to the tent where Maria and Tess were working on the never ending paper work.

After Liz left the Colonel shook his head.

"Tiny thing. But a real soldier. You say she has been pretty much overachieving since she got to Stewart?"

"Yes sir. She got in on 9/11 and was helping out at the ASP even before in processing. She had been a Section leader at Basic; and top student in her 89B class. She certainly has excelled here as well."

"That is an understatement. Well Division will want this report ASAP. The Newsies have heard about it; I am surprised none have shown up here. All I need to do is collect the statements of the other survivors."

Sergeant Axton came into the tent with some papers. "Here are the other statements, Colonel."

"Thank you sergeant. Did they have anything to say off the record?"

"No sir. Every single one of them believes they are alive only because Sergeant Parker was there. And none of them had any respect at all for the LT."

Colonel James sighed. "Well the good thing is that he was to blame; so no court martial or anything else. Now the commander of that escort company is going to get a reprimand for leaving. But that is relatively minor. He was ordered to go by the LT who was senior. So this report should be relatively straightforward."

Liz was in the office tent working on paperwork when Sergeant Axton poked his head in.

"Liz, the other survivors are leaving to go back to their FOB. They want to say goodbye."

Liz walked out to face the 14 soldiers she had led.

"Guys, cannot say it was a great time. But we are all here and in one piece. Keep your heads down and good luck."

All 14 stood at attention and saluted her which she returned. Then Jose piped up.

"Sarge, any time you need a favor and we are around, give us a call."

Liz grinned at them. "Thanks, guys."

A man in BDU's but no insignia was quietly watching this. Sergeant Axton spotted him and went over. He right away realized he was a reporter.

"And who might you be?"

"Carl Longon. Atlanta Journal-Constitution. I am embedded with the 3rd ID. Sergeant, you do realize this is going to be a big story?"

Sergeant Axton sighed and took the reporter in to see the Captain.

Longon could smell a big story; this could be huge. As more facts got out about the Jessica Lynch story, it had gotten fuzzy and not so great. But this one looks straight as an arrow.

Captain Simmons managed to not say much to the reporter. He told the reporter that he could not talk to Sergeant Parker until after the investigation concluded.

Division had just gotten Colonel James report. The Division PR officer looked it over. He looked at his XO.

"This is going to blow the Jessica Lynch story right out of the water. No need to embellish it. No false heroics."

The Division commander finished reading the report and looked at his XO.

"We have to handle this carefully. That stupid LT screwed the pooch and got himself and his sergeant killed. We should not try and cover that up. But at the same time Sergeant Parker really stood tall. Which is kind of funny since I hear she is a tiny thing."

His XO nodded. "We are getting enquiries from all sorts of media. CENTCOM will want this report ASAP."

"I think an award for Heroism under combat is due Sergeant Parker. Check the requirements and see what is warranted. Let's not get too crazy. Make sure no one is talking the Congressional."

"Yes sir."

Oblivious to all of this Liz worked away at the never ending paperwork went through the milvans and storage pads to make sure things were straight. The QASAS stopped by to congratulate her on making it back in one piece. He was the first to mention to her that the whole escapade was starting to get widely known.

Captain Simmons hoped that Division would keep the press of their necks; they really did not need the hassle. Units were starting to turn in their excess ammunition as regards mortar and artillery ammunition. Everyone was keeping their light stuff, though.

That evening Liz was able to get out an email on the company net; it was tricky but possible. She wanted her mother to know that she was fine; things had gotten a little nasty for a while but she was ok.

Nancy Parker had been hanging onto the news every day; the fall of Baghdad and the general lowering of combat was a relief. But she still worried. Then Liz got an email to her and she was relaxed for a while.

Carl Longon was frustrated; he had been stonewalled so far due to the so called investigation. But he had been able to hear enough to be sure of what happened. He decided to get it out and filled his story with the Division PR office. He was not going to try and sneak it out. He was just glad none of the networks had picked up on it yet. He would have been much less happy to hear that was not true.

The Fox news network News Director was discussing what he had just been told by the Fox reporter with the 3rd ID.

"We do not want this to be like the Jessica Lynch mess. Is this fully confirmed?"

"Not officially on record. But I have talked to the PR officer who read the official report. And I have not heard anything that contradicts it. It's actually pretty straightforward. They had a field ASP that they were closing down that had been supporting one of the Brigades. Most of the ammunition and personnel were pulled out; then the trucks were delayed as regards unloading so a transportation company from the 4th ID was called in to finish the job. Everything I have heard says the LT was an idiot and an asshole. He sent the escort off more than an hour ahead of the convoy. Huge mistake. If he had not been killed he would almost certainly be facing a courtmartial. He and his sergeant were in the lead vehicle and got killed by what they think was an RPG. Sergeant Parker was senior NCO left. She quickly took command and got the drivers away from the convoy and found a defensible position nearby. She had the drivers pull out some claymore mines and other ammunition. They had a hummer with a 40MM grenade mg. But that was not used much; they are not armored and in a situation like that the gunner would have been meat on the table for any halfway good shot on the other side. To make a longer story shorter, she held the position, the Spectre gunship that came to help out reported that they think there were are least 40 bodies of insurgents around the convoy. A company of Abrams came in and got them out about 6 hours after they had been hit."

"OK. This is big. We will go with it for the Morning news tomorrow."

Captain Simmons was talking to the commander of the company that had gone back down the road to look over the remains of the convoy and hopefully retrieve the bodies of the LT and Sergeant. They had been successful.

"Well Captain, we found exactly 61 bodies around that convoy."

Captain Simmons shook his head. Remarkable.

That reaction was pretty much the same all the way past Brigade to Division to CENTCOM.

The Division PR officer talked to the Division Commander.

"Had to let that report go through, sir. No reason to delay it. And the networks will be on it by tomorrow at the latest."

Meanwhile at the main office of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the editor was going over Longon's story. He looked at the News chief.

"Can we find a way to contact Parkers parents?"

"We are working on that now, boss."

Nancy Parker had just gotten home when the phone range.

"Yes?"

"Is this the Parker residence?"

"Yes it is?"

"Would I be talking to the mother of Sergeant Elizabeth Parker of the 3rd Infantry division?"

Nancy was worried- very worried.

"Who is this?"

"This is the news editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. We have a story out of Iraq concerning your daughter. She is fine. But it appears she is a hero as well."

Nancy sat down slowly. "Liz sent me an email yesterday that she was fine but that something had happened but she did not give any details."

"Well, Mrs Parker let me read you the story just sent in by our reporter embedded with the 3rd ID."

Nancy sat for a long minute. "Liz originally wanted to go into the military for the benefits and because she was not sure what she wanted to do. She got to Ft Stewart on the morning of 9/11. I am not sure but she seems quite happy in the Army."

"Thank you Mrs Parker and you should be very proud of your daughter."

The editor looked over at the transcript and told the news director to make sure it was on Page 1. Longon had been able to find out that there were the bodies of 61 insurgents found around the convoy. That was added to the story.

The paper hit the streets at 5 AM that next morning. FOX News led off with the story at 9AM eastern.

"This just in from Iraq. A supply convoy was attacked; this was very much like the Jessica Lynch situation but with a major difference. Mainly due to the actions of 20 year old Sergeant Elizabeth Parker of the Ordnance Company of the 3rd ID. When the lead vehicle was blown up, killing the officer in charge, Sergeant Parker took command and led a successful defense that led to all the other personnel in the convoy getting back alive and unhurt; and killing over 60 enemy soldiers. Details to follow."

The division commander looked at the report his XO had given him.

"Now are you sure this is warranted."

"Non combat sergeant. Not in a command chain or trained for it. Sudden combat situation. Took command and not only preserved her command but inflicted severe casualties on the enemy. Made sure that nothing was captured that could be used. Even came back with the paperwork identifying everything that had been lost. Her actions were inspired and innovative. Frankly for someone with no combat training or experience, remarkable. Sir I agree that this Award is high; but it is warranted. A Silver Star is not quite worthy of this action. It lasted for hours – not minutes."

"Very well. I will sign off on this and send it up to CENTCOM."

2 hours later CENTCOM's commander was looking at that report. He looked at his XO. "Check this out line by line. I agree with it but try and pick it apart. After the Jessica Lynch mess we have to be careful. I am sending this up to the Chairman and the Secretary of Defense."

Maria was gasping. "No way!"

Isabelle nodded. "When I was at the FOB they were talking about it. The Atlanta newspaper broke it then FOX News put it all over the world. Liz is a genuine Hero!"

Captain Simmons got off the radio. He looked at Sergeant Axton.

"It's true. It is the lead story on FOX. The good thing is that outside of the embedded reporters, no one else will be allowed to come down and bother us."

Jose and several other drivers were talking to their embedded reporter for the 4th ID. He had been able to track them down and get to them before their commander knew about it.

Jose was blunt. "Sergeant Parker saved our butts. That dumbshit Lt would have gotten us all killed."

The others all agreed. The reporter scribbled down his notes.

He had been working with the FOX reporters and gave them what he had. His own story was filled and on its way up the chain.

"This is Fox news with the latest from Iraq. The story of Sergeant Elizabeth Parker grows more interesting. We have been able to uncover word that the Lt who was in command of the transportation unit and the convoy, had deliberately sent off the Escort so that convoy was all but unprotected. He had also tried to force Sergeant Parker, an 89B specialist which means she is trained in ammunition supply and movement, to just allow the vehicles to go without securing the ammunition and explosives. A very big violation of Army regulations. She stood her ground and forced him to back off. Which for the tiny Sergeant speaks volumes. We have been able to talk to some of the other drivers who maintained that the LT was an incompetent; and they have flatly stated that he would have gotten all of them killed if he had remained in command after the convoy was attacked. Speculation is growing that Sergeant Parker will be the first woman decorated for combat achievements. It's only a question of what it will be. Early speculation has it at around a Silver Star; though some think that is inadequate. We will stay on this story."

The Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff looked at the report. SECDEF looked at the General.

"What do you think?"

"I agree sir. The recommendation for that award and the Combat Action Badge is warranted by her actions. She from all accounts never lost her head; was thinking right along; took much of the action personally; and was extremely successful in not only preserving her command, but inflicting significant casualties on the enemy. And her last act before leaving was destroying the remaining serviceable ammunition and equipment so as to not let the enemy benefit. If this was Sergeant Robert Parker I would feel the same way. When you add to the fact her young age, no combat training or experience, it is remarkable. All together it is valid, sir."

"I agree and will so recommend to the President."

Liz was beginning to get the feeling that something was going on. She was getting way too many strange looks.

The rest of the company had made it a point to not tell Liz what was going on, two days after the rescue of the convoy. And she was too busy with the day to day details to notice anything else.

Nancy Parker had spoken on the phone to several news organizations. She had decided that enough was enough. She was very proud of her daughter, but this was getting ridiculous. Even at work they were asking her about it.

The President looked at the SECDEF. "Considering what has happened with the Jessica Lynch situation, have we confirmed all of this. Nothing bad is going to be found out?"

"Mr President, I am confident that nothing bad will be found out about Sergeant Parker. You want to talk about someone with as clean a record and reputation, you will have to look long and hard. The bad part of the story is the LT who fortunately got himself killed. He screwed up badly; if he had survived he would have certainly been court-martialed."

"Very well then. This is approved."

"This is Fox News. Pentagon sources have confirmed that Sergeant Elizabeth Parker will be awarded a medal for her heroic action in saving the lives of the drivers of the convoy that was attacked on 21 April. Sources were not certain of which award it will be. Speculation has it that the Silver Star was mentioned, but that some felt that it was not sufficient. It is possible that the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest award for valor in combat that the United States has, will be the one. This would make Sergeant Parker the first woman not a nurse or member of the medical corps to be awarded a medal for valor in combat."

Liz had had enough. She finally pinned down Maria.

"OK, what is going on? People have been giving me lots of strange looks the last day or so."

Maria giggled. "Liz, sometimes you are so oblivious. You are a hero. Fox News and the other networks, and some newspapers got the details and have been shooting them all over the place. You are almost certainly going to get a medal."

Liz sat there with her mouth open and unable to comprehend the situation.

"A medal?" she finally squeaked.

The Division commander looked at the message. He looked at the XO. "Well, now how is this going to be done?"

"As high profile as this is, I am betting that General Franks will do the honors. Actually, if they could get away with it, I am sure the SECDEF would do it. Probably the president would want to. But it has to be done here and soon."

Captain Simmons came back from a meeting with Division and called Sergeant Axton aside. Walking towards the ASP so as to be alone, he told the Sergeant.

"Liz is going to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Combat Action Badge."

Axton softly whistled. "Wow. Not that I think it's not warranted. But that is a pretty high award for a single action. Though it was an action that was over six hours long. So I guess that is what probably clinched it. Liz did not make one single mistake; every decision she made was dead on. So when are they going to do this?"

"Division is pretty sure that Franks will want to make the award. Better see to it that Liz has a real clean uniform handy. They will probably do it at Division. I would guess in the next week or so. Things are pretty quiet."

The division commander was talking to CENTCOM.

"Yes sir. 30th of April. That is kind of fast sir. Yes sir. Our PR people will be waiting. Good day, sir."

He looked at his XO. "They are doing this fast. Franks will be here on the 30th to talk to the 4th ID commander and myself. The SECDEF has informed him that the President has approved the award to Sergeant Parker. So she will get that gong and the Combat Action Badge on the 30th. Better make sure that she has a real clean uniform. No Class A's; regular BDU. Let her captain know of the date and place."

Captain Simmons called Liz to the command tent. Liz was still a little surprised but the shock was wearing off.

"Well, Liz, I am sure by now that someone has spilled the beans."

"I pinned Maria to the wall and she told me. Surprised that I would get a medal. Not combat unit and a woman."

"Well brace yourself. You are being awarded the Combat Action Badge, as all the survivors will be. That is a badge for non infantrymen who have been in combat directly with the enemy. Then on April 30, at 3rd ID forward HQ, you will be awarded by General Tommy Franks, CENTCOM commander, the Distinguished Service Cross."

Liz stood there. And stood there. With her mouth open. Captain Simmons could do nothing else but laugh.

Liz got scared. "Oh. My. God."

It was still 3 days till the 30th and Liz was desperately trying not to think about it all. The Captain had made some calls and they had found a new uniform for her that was small enough so that it did not look bad. But otherwise she was a wreck despite the best efforts of her friends to help out.

Meanwhile back in the US:

Nancy Parker put the phone down and sat, staring at the wall in her office. Liz was going to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Only the Congressional Medal of Honor was higher. Unbelievable. The letter from Liz had gotten to her only that afternoon. The Post Man had made it a point to hand deliver it to her then put it in her mailbox. He told her that he had served in Desert Storm; and that she should be very proud of her daughter. Nancy had read and re read the letter; and then the phone call from the army letting her know about the medal.

Diane and Phillip Evans read the letter from Isabelle. Phillip looked at her.

"Liz must be quite a young woman."

Ed and Theresa Harding read the letter from Tess. They shook their heads.

Amy Deluca was talking to her friend at work.

"Maria is over there right in the middle of that mess. I hope to God she does not get into something like her friend did."

Meanwhile outside of this rather large circumstance, things were fairly quiet at the ASP. Very little action was happening; so no one was getting much new ammunition. Meanwhile the Captain had been reading about reports that bases and camps were starting to take some fire; small arms mostly. He talked it over with Axton and Liz; they agreed they needed to figure out a way to protect the personnel at the ASP if there were rocket or mortar attacks. Liz suggested doing what she had done at the Field ASP and they agreed. Some 20 foot long metal culverts were located; they were brought into the ASP and scattered around and covered with several feet of sand. If something happened they could crawl in either end and be pretty well protected.

Maria and the others had had a talk with Captain Simmons: Liz needed her friends with her when she was faced with the circus the award ceremony would certainly become. He agreed.

Liz carefully checked her appearance; Division HQ certainly had a better situation then they did. Even if they were in tents as well. Looking in the mirror she made sure everything was correct. Taking a deep breath, she walked out to where her friends were waiting. They made it clear they would be sticking close to her and she was very grateful.

Liz stood at attention. Then when called she marched up to the General and saluted. He returned the Salute and then placed the Medal around her neck and shook her hand. "Congratulations, Sergeant. This was well deserved."

Her knees almost shaking, Liz managed "Thank you sir." She then Saluted and moved back to the formation.

"On April 21, 2003, a convoy carrying ammunition for the 3rd ID was attacked in Anbar Province. The lead vehicle was destroyed, killing the convoy commander and his sergeant. Sergeant Elizabeth Parker was the senior NCO. As an 89B, Ammunition Specialist, Sergeant Parker was neither trained nor experienced in combat. There were no combat soldiers present, just the drivers of the vehicles. Despite this she took command and by her efforts, personally and by orders and example, she was able to hold the position despite severe attacks and though greatly outnumbered her command was able to inflict severe casualties on the enemy through a period exceeding 6 hours, mostly at night. No soldier in her command was wounded or injured. She also ensured that no ammunition or equipment was lost to the enemy by personally destroying the last as she left the position. Sergeant Elizabeth Parker has upheld the proud tradition of the US Army and is hereby awarded, by the President of the United States, on behalf of a grateful nation, the Distinguished Service Cross."

Then came a blitz of picture taking; the flashes almost blinded her. The formation was dismissed and the MPs made sure that the reporters could not get to her. She quickly marched out of the facility and was grabbed by her friends. Captain Simmons then told them to vamoose and they did. They escaped to the mess hall and got something to eat. All the while Liz slowly fingered her medal. She had been awarded the Combat Service Badge by the Division CO earlier in the day. That had been low key in the Division command tent. Liz could not really believe this had happened. IT was like she was a spectator seeing it happen to someone else.

Nancy Parker sat in her small living room watching the event on TV. Liz looked so small; and she would have bet very scared. Nancy sighed as it was over. No telling how long Liz would be over there. But they said that the major combat operations were over. She just hoped that was true.

Liz was very lucky that the reporters were not allowed to bother her. She was content to stay holed up at the ASP doing her job. Captain Simmons quietly told her that she was going to end up as one of the poster children of this war. She would be well known for a long time. She had written a letter to her mom just before finding out what medal she was going to get; she had not given a lot of detail. She wrote a second one after the ceremony.


	2. Chapter 2

Isabelle, Maria and Tess were also celebrating getting promoted to E4, as Specialists, unlike Liz who had been a corporal; they were happy to have the extra money without having to be in the command line. One major topic of discussion was how long they would be in Iraq. They knew they were due for a year here; and that was probably going to be the least. But they were hopeful, here in early May of 2003.

The months began to slowly go by; the ASP was maintained in its present position; but the facilities were upgraded as contractors were hired to make things better for the soldiers. Liz was very happy to see better quarters and above all a mess hall; they finally started getting real food in August. They got semi permanent tents, some with air conditioning. That made sleeping in the hot summers possible. Till then quite often they would trade out sacking in the one tent that had air conditioning, where the computers and communications gear was kept.

One bad thing was the increasing violence as disaffected Iraqi's and foreign combatants began to make trouble. And the various bases started to take rocket and mortar fire. It was not bad where they were at; there was really not much of a chance that anyone could get very close due to the flat and open terrain. Other bases were not so lucky. They got their first mortar attack in late September.

It was after dark and Liz and the others had just finished eating; they would relax for a while and then sack out. The air conditioned tents were a godsend, even though it was starting to get cooler at night. They had just left the mess tent, which was about a quarter mile from the ASP, and were heading towards the tents they had finally gotten that were decent; four to a tent which suited them fine. Suddenly there was a rustling sound that Liz recognized; she yelled at her friends "Incoming- get down" and hit the ground. RIGHT after that there were explosions several hundred yards away towards the living quarters of the tents. Liz lay there listening; when the explosions died away she looked for and found the nearest shelter and pulled her friends towards it. They sat in there as another group of rounds hit. After twenty minutes Liz poked her head out and then left it. The others slowly followed, still shaking a little. Liz shook her head.

"Well I guess it had to happen sooner or later." Then headed back to the living areas. They were glad to see that no damage had been done; all the rds had missed, though some shrapnel had holed a couple of tents.

Luckily the Brigade Commander reacted quickly and strengthened the guard force and reaction force. From that point on they patrolled aggressively at ranges that would force the mortar crews too far away to do much harm to the camp. So it never got as bad as it did in many other camps around Iraq. They were about 50 miles south west of Baghdad.

Liz touched the little decoration on the tiny tree they had come up with for Christmas in the Command tent of the ASP. It was coming up to 9 months here in Iraq; word was that their tour would probably be extended by 3 months so they would not be gone until August. Liz had just been promoted to E6 in September; she was told that was a further result of her award. She had only 9 months in rank as an E5 and would probably have not gotten an E6 until sometime in late 2004. Sergeant Axton had gotten his E8, long overdue in just about everyone's mind. The Bad news was that Captain Simmons was being promoted out of the Company and into the Division G-4 office. Rogers had gotten his promotion to Captain and took over the company. Starting in January, Rogers would be in command. Liz would miss Captain Simmons, as they all would. Rogers was a good officer, but much less open and warm. Liz and Sergeant Axton had talked about it.

"Rogers is competent and pretty straightforward; but I really liked Captain Simmons. He did his best to take care of us; and more importantly he showed that he cared."

"This is a good promotion for Simmons; less than three years in grade, and he will be going to a position that has good chances for further promotion. Rogers will be all right; but I agree that Simmons was special."

"So, any word on getting any more 89Bs?"

"Same answer as we always get- some day. Actually I doubt we see any more until we get back to Stewart."

"Just when we do not need them anymore."

"Well, realistically, with the strong QASAS support we have we really do not need them."

"True. I just wish we had gotten luckier with our latest QASAS. Is he dry behind the ears yet?"

Axton just had to laugh. For someone who was not yet 21, and the QASAS in question being over 30, that was funny.

"Well, luckily we really do not need a full time experienced QASAS like we did early on. And this one will be gone in 4 months."

"Just hope the next one is still not baking. Sometimes I have the answers and he does not. And that can be scary."

"Liz, you spent a lot of time with our last QASAS soaking up as much as you could. You really do not need to worry about knowing things now as regards running an ASP and the basic ammunition questions. You got them down pat."

"I guess. Still so much more to learn."

"Not really Liz. Most of what you need to know as an 89B you got down well. Just a matter of learning bits and pieces here and there and connecting it all together. We have done virtually everything that we are ever likely to do here in Iraq as regards what Army Ammunition Specialists do. We have set up ASP's and Field ASP's, moved ammo, issued and turned it in. We have not had to destroy much but that is for EOD. Now closing a theatre ASP would be the only thing we have not done; and it's not likely to happen."

"Do you think they might put 89B on the stop loss list?"

"We are not important enough."

They both smile a little bitterly at that.

They had a real good going away party for Major Simmons; Liz was very sorry to see him go and made a point of telling him that. He also made a point of telling her that he was proud to have commanded a unit with her in it.

"Liz, soldiers like you honor the officers who command. You and Sergeant Axton are soldiers any officer would give his eye teeth to have in his unit."

Captain Rogers made it a point to talk to Axton and Liz his first day in command.

"I am not an ammunition Expert. I am a truck driver with experience in moving ammunition around. You two are the ammunition experts when the QASAS is not around; and depending on who we have as a QASAS even then. So I expect you two make sure that things are done right as regards the ammunition itself. This company ran damn well under Captain Simmons and I live by the old saying, if it ain't broke don't fix it."

Liz was very much reassured after that meeting. She too subscribed to that saying. It was just a shame that the rest of the Military did not.

Outside of an occasional mortar attack, which had never caused much damage or injured anyone severely, it had been a quiet few months leading up to the anniversary of the starting of the war. Word was that their redeployment was on schedule for August to September. Everyone hoped that was the case and nothing changed.

VIP's were not common at the ASP, outside of those that dealt with it. But every now and then a few showed up. Never many, and never very high. Quite often their escorts were more important. Today was one of the few days when they actually had some real VIP's. Two members of Congress, and one a member of the House Armed Services Committee. Which made that one VERY IMPORTANT. Liz had gotten used to being the one that took them around; Captain Rogers did not like to do it and since she was the one genuine Hero at the ASP (Liz really wanted to deck Maria for hanging that label on her) she was usually asked for anyway. Pictures with the only woman to every win a combat medal always looked good for the politicians and others. At least Liz had been able to use the experiences to learn how to do them pretty well. It was a pretty nice day in May, not too hot yet.

They had just come out of one of the Milvans used to store ammo, and had closed it and were walking back towards the vehicles when that familiar sound came. It was very rare indeed for it to happen during the day but Liz was quick.

"INCOMING MORTARS! Everyone get DOWN!" Liz was going down when she saw that one of the Congressmen had frozen; she moved quickly and knocked him down just as a mortar round went off 15 feet away. She felt a sharp pain in her back as she hit the ground. After a few seconds she got up and hauled the much larger man up and pulled him towards one of the shelters, yelling for the rest of them to follow her. She got the rest of them in just as a second salvo hit. Farther away but still close. She kept them in there until she heard the all clear sound that meant the reaction force had located the mortar crew and had taken action.

"OK. Sounds like the reaction force got them. Should be clear now."

Despite the fact that there had been several officers with the group, none of them were combat. PR and the like. None of them argued with her. The Congress man shakily thanked her.

"Sergeant, I froze. Might have been killed if you had not knocked me down."

"That is ok sir. We get kind of used to things like that after a while. Quite a few freeze the first time." Liz felt some pain in her back and reached back to touch it with her hand; she felt something wet and brought her hand back and looked at a fair amount of blood on her hand.

"Well nuts. Looks like I caught some shrapnel."

That focused everyone's attention on her and most gasped as they saw the blood. One of the PR types reacted a little faster and yelled "MEDIC!" The congressman, horrified, promptly took Liz's arm and sat her down on a box next to the shelter. The medic that traveled with the group was there in a moment.

"OK, Sarge, let see how bad it is." He then pulled her shirt up. The Shrapnel had hit about midway up her back, just to the right of her spine. There was a hole about the size of a nickel that was bleeding fairly well. He applied a bandage immediately. "OK, we need a medevac."

Liz, strangely enough, did not feel too bad. They were making a big deal out of a small wound.

"OH, come on. Someone can drive me to the aid station. Anyone with tweezers can probably pull it out. A few stitches and I will be fine."

"Well Sarge,that may be true. But it's better to be safe than sorry. And they will want to take an XRAY to see if there is any more and where it is. And it is too close to the spine to take any chances."

Just in case a medevac was kept alerted whenever there were VIP's of that rank around. The Chopper was in the air in 15 minutes and at the ASP in 15 more. Liz despite her protestations was placed face down and strapped to a rack and flown to the Main Medical center at Division. There they pulled her off and had her into an operating room in another 15 minutes where they XRAYED her back. Luckily there was only one piece, but it had gone in over an inch and a half. They gave her a local and dug it out and stitched her up. Then gave her some pain meds and put her in a bed. Unfortunately she had to rest on her stomach so they gave her a bed that raised the end up and she laid on it.

"Doc, how long am I stuck here?"

"Not more than a couple of days. We just want to make sure no complications and no infections."

The Congressman talking to the Division commander was blunt.

"General, I froze. From what the EOD man said who looked at where the mortar round hit, the angle it had to be to hit her where it did, if she had not gotten in the way I might be dead."

Word of the incident went up the ladder at Warp 9; but even then it got to the media faster than that; especially since several reporters were with the group.

Early reports had the Congressman injured; that got interest right away. Then when the word leaked out that the congressman had probably been saved by none other than Sergeant Elizabeth Parker, and she had been wounded doing it, then the interest ramped up even higher.

Nancy Parker was at work when she was called in by the City administrator.

"Nancy we just heard on the news. Liz got wounded in Iraq. Apparently some congressmen were touring where she was at and some mortar rounds hit; she supposedly knocked a congressman down that froze and took the hit that would have gotten him. They say it's not serious but she has been medevaced to a hospital."

Nancy was shaking. This was her nightmare. The City Administrator had someone drive her home, someone else bringing her car. Then he called one of her friends to stay with her and answer the phone. He knew the media would be all over this.

Nancy sat and waited. Ellen, a friend from work, was taking all phone calls. The city administrator had asked the sheriff to station someone outside the home in case the media showed up. It took almost 2 hours but they started to line up outside. The Deputy would not allow any of them to go to the door.

Liz was a little groggy from the pain meds, but demanded a phone to call her mother. She got one rather quickly.

"Parker Residence. This is Ellen, if you are with the media there is no comment."

"Ellen this is Liz. I am calling from the hospital. Let me speak to mom."

Nancy grabbed the phone. "Honey how bad is it?"

"Got a hole in my back about the size of a nickel. They got the shrapnel out and XRAYED me and there is no more. I should be out of here in a day or two. They just want to make sure there is no infection. I am OK, mom."

They spoke for a few more minutes before the doctor put an end to it; he talked to Nancy to further relieve her worries. The pain meds had hit by then and Liz conked out.

Maria and the others were relieved when Captain Rogers called them in and told them Liz would be fine and probably back in a few days.

"Considering how hard it was to convince her to go, I bet she will be back as soon as she can."

Interestingly enough the Congressman had no problems admitting that he had frozen. He embellished the incident somewhat, telling the media that odds were he would have been dead if Liz had not knocked him down. The piece of shrapnel would have hit him dead center in the chest.

So now the media haunted the Hospital. Liz was the highest profile patient they had had by far. The Divisional surgeon increased security and made it very clear that he would be royally pissed off with any comments made to the media; and even more pissed off if any of the media managed to sneak in and bother Sergeant Parker.

Liz, meanwhile, was bored out of her gourd by the next day. The doctor checked the wound the first thing in the morning and changed the dressing.

"So far so good. No signs of infection. You white count is holding steady. We irrigated the wound heavily so we might have nipped any of that in the bud."

One good thing is that they were able to rig a pillow and a pad so that she could sit up in bed. They had just got that done when the Congressman came in to visit her. He was alone except for a PR officer. No press.

"Sergeant, you saved my life and I will not forget that."

Liz was a little embarrassed but was somewhat relaxed due to the pain meds.

"Sir, I reacted. The group was my responsibility. I would have done that for anyone."

"I know that. But you did it for me. The EOD officer who came by right after measured from where the round hit and where you and I were and he is pretty sure that it would have hit me right in the middle of the chest. Could very well have killed me."

Liz did not know what to say.

"I am from Georgia; not in the same district as Ft Stewart, unfortunately. But not that far away either. When you get out of here, and you have any problems at all, I consider it a privilege if you would contact me. I owe you a debt I cannot repay; and politicians always keep count. Thank you again."

Later on that afternoon the girls stopped by. Maria was blunt as usual.

"Chica, you keep getting in those situations. Time you learned to just take care of yourself. What is one more politician anyway?"

The Congressman made it a point to stop by CENTCOM on his way back to the States.

"General, I want that young sergeant to be recognized for what she did."

General Abizid nodded. "The Soldiers Medal seems to be appropriate. It is usually awarded when a life is saved in a hazardous situation."

"That sounds good. Let me know when it will be done. I want to be there."

Captain Rogers and Sergeant Axton were finding out just how much Liz got done around the ASP. The hard way since she was not there. They counted the days until she got back.

Liz managed to annoy the doctor enough that he let her go three days after the incident. With strict orders to take it easy and a medic to change the dressing each day for the next week and keep an eye out for problems. She called up the ASP.

"Captain, I annoyed the Doctor enough so that he will release me this morning. All I need is a ride back."

"That we can do. The work is piling up around here. Now what are the restrictions?"

"I have to take it easy and the medic will have to change the dressing each day for the next week. Then he wants to see me and maybe take out the stitches. Other than that I have to probably stay in the tent and do paperwork."

Isabelle and the others got to the Hospital only a couple hours later. They got lunch at the Divisional Mess hall which was much better than what they had at the ASP. Liz was back at the unit by 1400 and started on paperwork right away.

Liz found out that Captain Rogers had assigned Maria and Tess to make sure she did not overdo it. Liz complained that one mother was more than enough but the girls turned a deaf ear to that.

Liz gradually got back into the swing of things and a week later got the stitches out.

On the first of June, 2004, Liz was called into the divisional HQ. She had been told to put on her best uniform. She had suspicions but when the Congressman she had helped showed up, she figured it out. He was the one that pinned the Soldiers Medal on her. The division commander then pinned the Purple Heart on her. Pictures followed.

The girls later on told her that she was piling up the medals. With the DSC, the Soldiers Medal and now the Purple Heart, she was going to have some fairly thick fruit salad. Sergeant Axton pointed out to her that with the medals already awarded added to the ones she would get for serving in Iraq and so on, she would look very impressive in Class A's. Liz blew a raspberry and said why waste the money on a Class A?

In July, just after the 4th, they got the very welcome word that they would be deploying back to the States starting in the middle of August. By mid September they would be back home. There had been some worry that they would be held over but that had not come true.

They were to find out that leaving sometimes was more complicated than going. The good news was that they would not have to close anything down. But they would have to sign off on all things left; and account for all things lost. Luckily they had done a good job of keeping a paper trail. The National Guard unit that would be relieving them showed up three weeks before they were due to leave. Liz soon found out that rumors about the state of NG Ordnance companies were true.

One week after meeting their replacements, Captain Rogers, Liz and Axton had a quiet meeting with Major Simmons at Division G-4. Rogers started.

"Major, this bunch is really bad. They do NOT know what they are doing. The only good thing is that the new QASAS is experienced so he can help. But they are really lost."

Sergeant Axton was next. "They do not know how to fill out 1348-1's. They do not know the meaning of most of the information on that form."

Liz was next. "They have no concept of storage groups. Quantity Distance is unknown to them. Basic safety is a mystery."

Major Simmons nodded. "I am not surprised. I will tell the G4 but all I can probably tell you is to help them as much as you can and make sure that anything happening after we leave is on them. Liz, work on them as much as possible; I know you probably have more references than anyone in Iraq. So let them have copies of that and your notes. That is probably all we can do."

Later that day he told the Division G4.

Colonel Hough nodded. "I know. We see it all over. Have your people do the best that they can in the time left; and CYA. Too many of them do not want to learn. We cannot force them to."

The Division support troops were the last ones to leave; Liz was just about on the last convoy to Kuwait on 12 September, 2004. They spent a further 3 weeks in Kuwait before they caught their planes back to the US. One good thing about not taking any leave for almost 2 years; you had a fair amount saved up. Once back at Ft Stewart, just about everyone would get 30 days leave.

Nancy had been planning for Liz's homecoming. Liz would stay with her for a week; then they would take some time and visit a couple of places and relax. Liz then intended to travel some; visit Tess and her parents in Roswell; Isabelle and her parents in Kansas City; and Maria and her mother in Louisville. Then she would get back to Ft Stewart with a few days to go before coming back to duty. She had bought a nice little car and would be driving across the country. Nancy had told Liz that she was looking at seeing if she could find a job farther south in a nicer climate. Liz told her that would be great. Then Nancy asked her about her plans.

Liz was pensive. "Well, technically I will have fulfilled my four year active duty commitment next June. I can go out and serve the other four years in the Reserves or NG. Then go to college. But l still do not know what I want to do; I want to have a good idea of that before committing. Actually college seems less and less important to me. One thing I can do; according to the guys I have talked to, is once out of the Army apply for one of the QASAS classes. Everyone of them I have talked to told me I would breeze right in. The pay there is real good; and the job I already pretty much know. The only downside of that is that every 3-5 years I would be moving. Which is about what the Military does. I am just not sure."

Nancy took that in. Liz was so very different in some ways and yet still the same in others. Liz had looked death in the eye; had faced her own mortality before she was old enough to drink. She now knew the hard part of life; the tough part of the world. Liz was now an adult. Nancy could council and advise, but the decisions would be hers.

3 weeks later, with 3 days of leave left, Liz drove into Ft Stewart. She went to the quarters she would still share with Maria, and unpacked. She stood in front of the window of the room and looked over at the other buildings. The 3rd ID was trickling back into the base. But most had not yet arrived back. They were taking as much time as they could. Liz had enjoyed the trip across the country. She had never before really seen much of the US. Now she had. Liz knew she had fully grown up in Iraq; made the final transition from teen to adult. Certainly not the easiest way to do it, but it had got the job done. Now she had to think hard about what she wanted to do with her life. She knew she wanted to meet a nice guy, get married and have children. She wanted a career that she liked and that meant something.

Liz had only about 8 months left before her tour of active duty was up. She could skate through that quite well. She had plenty of money in the bank and with the GI Bill she would be able to go to college; but the problem was that like she had told her mother, college just did not seem all that much important to her anymore. You did not need that to have a career, though it certainly helped. Liz knew she was getting close to what she was trying to figure out, but was not yet there.

Liz called into the Ordnance Company office the next day; and found out that only Sergeant Axton was in. She headed down.

When she walked in the door, Sergeant Axton grinned.

"Hail the conquering hero!"

Liz gave him a dirty look.

"With all due respect, sergeant, stick that where the sun don't shine."

"Division PR wants you to do some interviews; the Media still want to talk to you. Since they did not get anything over there, they figure they can over here."

"Can I refuse?"

"Probably. But honestly Liz, they are going to keep at you until they get what they want. An interview with the first woman to win a Medal for Valor in combat."

Liz sighed and sat down. "You figure I just better get it out of the way?"

"Yeah. Just do a couple and then say no more. That at the least will get Division PR off of your neck."

"OK. So how do things look?"

"Pretty good. Things will be quiet until the Division starts training again; which won't be for at least a month or two. Though there is word coming down about division realignment; changing the structure. Having a division support or sustainment brigade with all the support companies there. Kind of stupid; just another level of bureaucrats and desk jockies."

"Figures. Sarge, I have 8 months left, assuming that 89B does not become a stop loss. I know, you do not have to roll your eyes we both know we will never be that important. I am kind of lost about what to do. On one hand, being in this company with everyone has been mostly great. But it has sucked as well; and it's a given that in a year or so we will be going back to Iraq. Though probably not as a division if what I have heard is true."

"It is. They will send one brigade at a time. One here; one coming home and one going there. So each brigade will probably go every two years or so. Until it's done. Now with us, it will be interesting. Only a section will go. They will have to increase our size so that they can split it up so that enough can stay here to run things and enough can go there to run things. It will be kind of crazy."

Liz nodded. "Maria and Tess and Isabelle all are going to be going out next June. I will not like this place anywhere near as much without them. And going back to Iraq without them is just not something I want."

"I probably will be transferring out as well. Been here 8 years and that is about it. I have only 6 more years to go before my 20 is done. I am going to be looking to go somewhere to settle down and prepare for life after the Army."

Liz was not surprised; but saddened. Her half decision was just about done.

"OK. Well that tells me I do not want to stay here. But the question is, do I want to stay in the military?"

Axton sat back. Liz was someone who made the day seem brighter. She was just that way. He did not want to see her lose that. Staying here doing the same thing he feared it would start to fade.

"OK. Here are some thoughts. One: go somewhere else; but if you stay at what you are doing you will be going back to Iraq doing the same thing. Two: Go for some other MOS. But the fact is that just about everyone will be going to Iraq at least a couple more times before it's all over. Three: go for the reserves and go to college. Four: go to the NG and the same; but once again you will probably be going back to Iraq doing the same thing or something similar. But if you are in college you can delay it four years. Five: become a recruiter; the Army would LOVE that."

Liz thought about that for a few minutes.

"One: you are right and no way. Two: Same unless I go for recruiter. Which also covers Five. Three and four: college just does not thrill me and I do not know what career I want. I still feel that college without a goal is a waste for me. Like I am just delaying things. I want a family. One other possibility I have been tossing around is going for a appointment to West Point. That congressman owes me and I could call in that favor."

Axton nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. But somehow I just do not see you at the trade school. So much of what they teach there you already know."

Liz nodded slowly. That was true. Discipline and the basics she already knew. Engineering did not thrill her; high level calculus and math had never been enjoyable for her though she could do it. And four years of being locked up there; no way.

"Yeah, the point is out."

Axton was thinking. "OK. Here is another consideration. OCS. With your record and your scores and SATs and everything, you can get in no sweat. 100 days and you are an officer. It would be a lot different. And you would probably be able to pretty much choose your branch. They are opening more and more up to women now. You could go right in and say go for aviation and become a rotorhead."

Slowly Liz nodded. "Yeah. That is true. I forgot that recruiters are stuck in one place for three years; the one I got was locked up in Northern Wyoming. Had enough of there."

"Well, you would probably be able to just about pick your spot."

"True. My recruiter was a good guy; but even so you are a salesman. And somehow I just do not want to go that route. Even if I got somewhere I loved. Same with going into PR. I would be selling myself in the process."

"And if you go into recruiting they will use your record and reputation. And I do mean USE."

"Ya. OK that is out. More and more your OCS sounds like an idea. Aviation as well. I like it." Suddenly Liz just knew she had found the way. She grinned at Axton. "That is it, Sarge. That is the path."

Axton grinned. Seeing her come to the decision and her eyes light up was real good. And he thought it was the way to go; plus the Army needed officers like Liz.

Her decision made she headed over to Personnel. After stopping by Division PR and telling them to go ahead and schedule a couple of interviews.

The Personnel officer who saw her was straightforward when he met her.

"Sergeant Parker, you can pretty much write your ticket. That fact that you got one of the Congressmen of the House Armed Services Committee in your pocket means that the US Army is not going to mess with you."

Liz grinned. "I have decided to go for OCS. So what do I need to do?"

He gave her the booklets and options and promised to research the possibilities and get back to her.

Liz called up her mother and let her know what she had decided. Nancy had hoped she would leave the military but was not surprised; and she once again told her daughter how very proud of her she was.

The next day Liz got her Class A uniform which she had not yet worn in public out and put it on. Then headed over to the Division PR office. She was rather surprised that the deputy PR officer was going to go with her to Savannah where the Interviews would happen. Fox News was first; followed by ABC news.

The Fox news person was getting her ready; she would be talking to the National Anchors on the morning show.

"Sergeant Parker, how are you doing?"

"Quite well."

And from there on it was a breeze. Liz did not realize it but she looked very impressive with all her decorations. Each of them asked what her plans were; all she said was that at this time she was looking at staying in the Military.

The PR officer said to her when it was over. "Frankly, if you want to come over to PR, you would do very well here. You communicate very well."

She smiled. "Probably not. I hate having to dress up all the time."

The next day Isabelle and the others were back and they all went out to the restaurant and exactly as Maria had said drank a bottle of the same Champagne.

Maria then fixated on Liz. "Chica, I saw the interview yesterday. You looked very impressive there. And what is this about staying in?"

Liz smiled and sat back. "I am going for OCS."

The others blinked. Tess said "Really? Then what?"

"I am thinking of going into Aviation; maybe end up flying Apache's."

Isabelle was surprised. "Wow. Army as a career as an officer. Not college?"

"More and more I am thinking not. Just does not feel right. I will be taking college courses as an officer, but off and on."

Maria had been thinking. "Do you have an idea when you will be starting?"

"Probably not until the spring at the earliest."

"Well that is ok then, when you leave will be about the same time we all get out."

Liz smiled. "OK guys, let's hear your plans."

Tess smiled. "College for me; just not sure where."

Isabelle nodded. "Same here."

Maria "Make that three."

"OK. You guys will need to get your applications in fairly soon to get acceptance for the fall semester. And unless you go to a university in your parents home state, you will have to pay out of state tuition. So I have a suggestion if you do not have strong feelings. University of Georgia."

The girls looked at each other then at Liz. Liz grinned. "Well I can smell wood burning so you are all thinking."

By the time they went back to their quarters, the girls were coming around to the idea. Liz had then pointed out that even after OCS, if she went to Army Aviation school that was at Rucker, which was not all far away from the University of Georgia. They would be in the same part of the country; able to see each other on occasion. Liz had come to realize that those three were her best buds, friends for life. She would not let them go.

Things began to start up again once they were on duty. But now it was a case of just finishing up. Even Captain Rogers was looking to get out and go into business with his brother in law. By the middle of the year the whole Ordnance Company would be a memory. Things were going to be reorganized anyway. A sustainment Brigade would oversee all division support units.

Liz's application for OCS was put in and accepted quickly. She also had personnel put out feelers as regards to the Aviation School in Ft Rucker and the initial response was favorable. She would be hitting OCS in May; finishing it in August, and starting Aviation School in September. That would run 18 months and she would be done in January of 2007. Liz felt she had a plan. More good news was that her promotion to E7 had come through.

Major Simmons sat back and sighed. The Ordnance company would be a ghost unit by summer. Every single vital soldier would be gone one way or another. Tasked by G4 to keep track of such things, what with the changes coming to the organization, he had known it would probably not be good but this was really bad. The commander going out; the top two sergeants and only capable 89B's leaving; the best techs as regards TAMIS and the records going out. He walked over to the G4's office.

Colonel Hough looked at him. "This is very bad. Word is that we will be deploying at least one brigade by the middle of next year. That gives us at best a year to completely rebuild that company."

"Yes sir. And getting good 89B's is still a nightmare; we are due to get some fresh ones this year but they will be very green. And as regards competent senior leadership, we might be able to put in place a sergeant or two; but they will not be 89B's."

Hough looked at the details. "Sergeants Axton and Parker; that was really where the leadership has been. Losing both of them is what is really going to hurt. Everything else is manageable."

"Exactly sir. What we need to do is get some people in there now; competent people and have the outgoing Sergeants work on training them up."

"All right. Get down to personnel and have them go over every E7 in this division; I want recommendations of who we can transfer in. If necessary I will go right to the Commander to have the best ones moved in. Let their commanders howl if they want; the Ordnance company is too important to short change."

Major Simmons nodded. The recent explosion at an ASP in Iraq had been investigated and the Brigade commander had been reprimanded; the Ordnance company commander had been relieved for cause. Belatedly the higher ups were starting to finally get it.

The senior Congressman for Georgia, member of the House Armed Services Committee, looked at the report then at his staffer.

"This sounds like a typical bureaucratic screw up but it's worse than that, is what you are saying?"

"Yes sir. The pentagon has ignored the Ammunition side of the house for a long time; underfunded and not considered important. Which is very stupid but there you are. The personnel situation is just as bad if not worse overall. 89B's are very low priority; and there is no reason any ambitious soldiers want to go there. Promotions are very slow and recognition nonexistent."

The Congressman sat back for a minute. "Call up Ft Stewart and schedule a visit tomorrow. I want to talk with the Division G4. And specifically I want to talk to some 89B's there at FT Stewart. Sergeant Parker for one; and I believe another is Sergeant Axton, if I recall correctly."

"Yes, Congressman. We will be waiting for you at 0900. Those personnel will be waiting."

Colonel Hough sighed as he put down the phone. Then he buzzed the Commander; he had not even had a chance to talk to him yet about the problem with the Ordnance Company.

The Division Commander sighed; were things ever simple? He had told the G4 to get to his office ASAP and bring Major Simmons with him.

"OK, Colonel. Give me the bad news."

"Basically sir, by this summer the Ordnance Company will be a ghost unit. The Commander is leaving the military to go into private business; the two senior sergeants are transferring out. The best supply techs are leaving the military to enter college. And there are not competent people there to replace them. The two LTs are basically spot fillers; and that is all. There are no other senior sergeants period. Some new supply techs will be coming in this spring but they will be very green. We will have no competent 89Bs once Sergeants Axton and Parker are gone; and getting them is a joke. We are due a couple in the spring but who knows if they will be good and they WILL be green."

The general sighed and rubbed his eyes. "And what does the congressman want?"

"Well, sir, as you well know he is the one Sergeant Parker saved. He showed at that time a fair amount of interest in the ASP and the ordnance company. I am guessing that he wants to know more. I seriously doubt he knows about what is about to happen to what is currently a very good and capable company. But he will find out and he will want to know what we are going to do about it. With that incident at that ASP in Iraq, visibility of this area has skyrocketed. Overall the Ammunition situation in the entire Army as regards personnel and ability is not good; frankly not surprising since it has been ignored and considered unimportant for over a generation."

"Stupid but not surprising when looking at how the Pentagon does things. Well I want to have a plan by the time the Congressman gets here tomorrow on how we are going to rebuild the Ordnance company. That will have top priority over any unit in this division as of right now."

Colonel Hough took a deep breath. "Sir, I had personnel go through the records of every E7 in this division; and Major Simmons is going to look through the best and pick two to be transferred to the Ordnance Company immediately. That will give Sergeants Parker and Axton at least 6 months to train them. But this will need your signature."

"I want those transfer orders on my desk by 1700 today."

"Yes sir."

Major Simmons rubbed his eyes; he had been going over a total of 50 E7's personnel files. One of the criteria had to be that they had been with the division in Iraq. Or had been to Iraq. He wanted only those who had been there and done that. They would need to be with the Ordnance Company for at least 2 years. So he had whittled down the possibles to 6. He was going to talk to all 6 before picking two of them.

Sergeant Williams had been in the first Brigade as Infantry; he was a no nonsense type that got things done. Sergeant Alexander had been in 3rd Brigade, also as Infantry. He was very competent if a little more easy going than Sergeant Williams. Williams was slightly senior. Major Simmons had chosen those two; and had the transfer orders made out by 1630 to give to Colonel Hough. The two other sergeants in the Ordnance company were going to be switched out for them. Major Simmons had no doubt the screams from both brigade commanders would be heard all the way to Savannah.

Liz and Axton had been informed about the Congressman early the previous afternoon. PR had wanted them in Class A's, but Colonel Hough had vetoed that. The Congressman was after answers, not a photo op.

Major Simmons had come to the Ordnance Company office at 0700 to brief them.

Captain Rogers, Liz and Axton were in his office listening.

"The two new Sergeants will be here next week. They need to be brought up to speed before you two leave. I already have a candidate in mind for the Commander slot. He will be coming in May, just before Captain Rogers leaves. He was a veteran of the fighting in Fallujah, so he knows the score. Now as regards the Congressman; he specifically mentioned talking to Sergeants Axton and Parker; and about the Ordnance Company. We are guessing that the recent mess in Iraq at that ASP, and his own personal interest in Ammunition matters, is what this is all about. There will be no media here. He clearly wants information and is coming to people he knows will give him the straight shit. The Division Commander and G4 have decided that nothing will be held back; we are going to tell him that the 3rd ID's Ordnance Company is going to be gutted; but that we are taking action. The Division commander has also given you two the OK to fully inform the Congressman on the sorry state of the Ammunition Specialist situation for the entire US ARMY. I think that is what this is really about. He got a report and now he is coming to the horses mouth."

Sgt Axton raised an eyebrow. "Surprised the Division commander is willing for us to spill the beans about the situation in the Army as a whole."

"I get the impression that the Division Commander wants action taken and figures this is the way to go. Anything that improves the situation army wide is a good thing. An influential congressman can do that."

Right on time at 0900 the congressman with one assistant and no media showed up at the conference room at HQ. In attendance was Colonel Hough, Major Simmons, Captain Rogers, Sergeants Axton and Parker. Introductions were made and they all sat down.

The congressman started out.

"I am here because of a report that was compiled for me by one of my staff members from information furnished by the Pentagon; specifically the Undersecretary for Personnel. In it there is a damning report about the situation of the Ordnance specialties, particularly the 89B MOS. Now many have heard about the increasing use of IED's and the need for more EOD personnel. But nothing is heard about this shortage; and it's even more damning that the 89B MOS is not on the Stop Loss list.

So I am here to find some things out."

At virtually the same minute the SECDEF was chewing on the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel.

"The Congressman wanted that kind of detailed information and I was not informed? Whenever they get that specific something is coming and it's usually not good. You should have told me of this request as soon as you got it. Now send me the same packet you sent him and do it RIGHT NOW. And I want a separate report on that area done by you and it better be thorough by 1700 today."

"What is the current state of the Ordnance Company of the 3rd ID and what will its state be in one years time."

Major Simmons knew this was his.

"Currently we are as we were in Iraq. Captain Rogers is leaving the military in June. Sergeant Axton is transferring to Ft Carson in July. Sergeant Parker is leaving for OCS in May. Our two senior supply Techs are leaving the military in June."

The Congressman whistled. "So the ordnance company will be gutted in 6 months."

"Yes sir. We have two competent senior NCO's who will be transferred in next week from Infantry Brigades. Both veterans of Iraq. The new commander for the Company is also a veteran of Iraq. 4 new Supply techs will be in by March. We should have time to bring all newbies up to speed by the time the experienced personnel leave."

"None of these people transferring in know a thing about Ammunition."

"That is correct, sir."

"Is this common?"

"Losing all your experienced personnel in a 3 month period is rare. But transferring in people that are unskilled in Ammunition is the rule."

What is the state of the 89B MOS Army wide?"

"Bad sir. Only one class is given each quarter at Benning, the only school for 89B. The class size has been doubled from 20 to 40. But the loss rate of 89B's transferring out is higher than what comes in. Doubling the class size will probably hold us at about where we are right now."

"That is what my report pretty much said. Why is this happening, Sergeant Parker."

Liz took a deep breath. "Ammunition Specialists get little respect. PR is more highly regarded. Promotions are rare; recognition is nonexistent. No one wants to go into it; most try and get out as soon as they can. This is a direct result of years of deliberate decisions at the Pentagon level that has trickled down to the unit level. When the troops see the contempt a MOS is held by the higher ups, they get the message."

Colonel Hough winced. But he could not truthfully disagree. The Congressman noticed this.

"Was the sergeant incorrect, Colonel?"

"No sir. Regrettably she is correct."

"And you are leaving it as well, Sergeant Parker."

"Yes Sir. I have had a wonderful time overall in this company. I have worked with fine people mostly and done an important job well. But this is not what I want to do for the rest of my career. I know that if I stay as an 89B I will go no farther than Sergeant Axton has. He had been stuck at E7 for 6 years because he stayed in the 89B MOS. I have been extremely fortunate to just get my E7. But no matter what, If I stayed I would not get promoted for many years. While others in different MOS's did get promoted. Now promotions are not everything, but it's a symptom of what is wrong. We get very little respect from anyone anywhere. If I stay as an 89B I will inevitably end up in a company badly led with incompetent people stuck there because no one else will take them. And when dealing with High Explosives that is not a recipe for a long life."

The congressman was silent for a moment. Then looked at Sergeant Axton.

"Do you disagree, Sergeant."

"No sir. Sergeant Parker is the best young 89B I have come across since I became one myself 10 years ago. The fact that she is leaving is no surprise at all; if I was to give her advice on her career I would tell her to leave. Everything she described I have seen firsthand. I have several friends that were promoted much faster than I was primarily because they were in a more highly regarded MOS."

"What would you recommend to redress this sad situation?"

"Until Ammunition Specialists are given their just do, and the Pentagon treats them as something other than worthless, nothing will change. So this attitude change needs to start at the top and be maintained. I would recommend that 89B Warrant Officers be established; and make them attractive. Another problem is that the ammunition area is ignored and denigrated. Facilities and equipment are usually the last to get funding and upgrades. It is just another symptom of the disregard Ammunition constantly has to deal with."

Colonel Hough looked at Major Simmons. The two sergeants had really ripped the entire leadership of the US Army and the DOD.

The congressman had been silent, thinking for a minute.

"Sergeant Parker, tell me why competent Ammunition specialists are important."

Liz braced herself.

"Ammunition is the most dangerous item that the military deals with on a day to day basis. Do you want lazy, incompetent, badly led and badly trained people dealing with that every day? That is what most of the Army does at this time. The recent incident in Iraq was completely due to what has been discussed. And that incident will not be the last. After Desert Storm there was a huge explosion at an ASP due to the Ammunition Specialists involved being incompetent and ignoring basic safety rules. Around the world there is usually one large incident like that each year or every other year. All for basically the same reasons. Sir,that is the way it is. We will be killing soldiers and civilians in the future in totally preventable incidents."

He thought for a minute.

"The real Ammunition experts in the Army are the QASAS. What is their role as you see it?"

"They are the real experts as you have stated. We had 4 separate QASAS in Iraq. 2 were very good; but two were very green and should not have been sent. Luckily by the time the green ones showed up we were established and going well. QASAS are badly needed because of the lack of 89B's with real training and real experience. One other bad thing that goes on is that quite often even those 89B's that want training cannot get it. I made it a point to go to them as soon as I arrived at Ft Stewart. I talked to them every chance I could get and they taught me lot. They also told me that I was very rare. Only because Major Simmons as my company commander agreed was I able to spend that much time learning from them. They told me that they try at every camp post and station they are assigned to that they ask the ordnance personnel there to come for training. Most of the time they are not allowed to come; other training is considered more important and specific training in their MOS is not considered important. One more symptom of an endemic problem in the US Army. Bottom line the QASAS are all too often doing the job that the 89B's should be doing. But they cannot be everywhere and often they are not all that experienced themselves. They should be the last line defending the safety of Ammunition but all too often they are the ONLY ones around that know what to do. That is a situation that guarantees disaster sooner or later."

The congressman sat for a few minutes.

"Well I can see that the report was understated; as I expected. I have the basics now. If you would I would like you to show me the ASP here and explain the details of the job."

Colonel Hough and Major Simmons left for HQ, Captain Rogers pointedly told sergeants Axton and Parker that since they know what they are talking about they will conduct the tour. The Congressman looked at him.

"Captain, I take it nothing said here surprises you or that you disagree with?"

"Sir, I was shot with luck taking over the company from Major Simmons. I had a very good situation compared to most incoming Ordnance Company commanders. What sergeants Parker and Axton said are dead on. One of the Reasons I am getting out of the Military is that I am typed as ordnance and will not get a good posting after this. And If I stay in ordnance I will be ending up with a company as Sergeant Parker described. I want to live a long life with all my parts intact. Staying in Ordnance at this time is not a good way to have that."

Liz and Axton spent the next 2 hours taking the Congressman all over the ASP and to all the current ammunition operations. His assistant was writing a book from all the notes he was taking.

When they were done the congressman thanked them.

"This was the best and most complete and honest briefing I have ever gotten. You two are a real credit to the US Army. Sergeant Axton, I hope you do well in your next posting. Sergeant Parker, I would like a word with you alone."

They moved a little distance.

"You are going to OCS. What after that?"

"Aviation. I am thinking of becoming a rotorhead."

"Combat?"

"Yes sir. I want to be able to shoot back with a lot more than I am shot at with. I would like to end up driving an Apache."

"Good luck. If someone is giving you a problem because you are a woman, I want to know about it. It's time the military was dragged out of the Stone Age on this."

"Thank you, sir."

"I owe you Liz. I pay my debts."

The SECDEF read the full report the following morning. Then he called the Undersecretary.

"This is a failure of your department. Critical area not identified. I have no doubt that next week when I testify before the committee, the Congressman will be chewing me on this. I want a plan to present him on how this problem will be solved."

Colonel Hough briefed the Division commander. After he was done the Commander sat back and looked at him.

"You think he will confront SECDEF next week on this."

"I would put serious money on that, Sir."

"The sergeants really unloaded."

"Yes sir. And I cannot reasonably disagree with anything they said."

"I can't either."

SECDEF took his seat before the House Armed Services Committee. The Chairman thanked him for his attendance. Then turned to his right.

"The Honorable Congressman from Georgia would like to ask some questions."

"Mr Secretary, the recent incident in Iraq, the explosion at a ammunition storage site, was it or was it not due to an endemic problem with Ammunition Specialists in the US Army?"

The SECDEF had decided to play along; he had had way too many confrontational situations already; if he could avoid one he would in this case.

"Basically yes."

"I asked the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel for a report on Ammunition Specialists in the US Army, specifically the MOS 89B. The report made for unpleasant reading and I have had it put into the Congressional Record. The bottom line is that the Ammunition field in general, and the personnel field part of Ammunition in particular, is bad explicitly due to the failure of the US Army at the senior level over a period of decades to give proper recognition, attention and funding. What is in the past is in the past. Mr Secretary, what are you going to do to fix that situation?"

"Sir, this is a problem as you have said that has been in the making for many years. From all previous administrations and congresses going back at least 20 years. The only real solution is to make it clear again and again that Ammunition is a priority. That should be self evident to any military but it has not been so as regards the US Army. I have my staff working on specific proposals. One of the suggestions I am considering is adding the 89B MOS to the Stop Loss program. For the future since right now as you have stated and the report makes clear, there are not that many right now that are worth keeping. I am going to make it a Army policy that the condition of the ordnance company will be an increased factor in the rating of commanders at brigade level and above, all the way to Major Command level as regards all areas of Ammunition. Those officers that inherited bad situations and did not improve them will be downgraded at the same level as having combat units fail inspections and failing as operational units. If you do not have 75% of your 89B's positions filled with trained and qualified personnel you will fail. That should start down the road of making commanders take proper notice of Ammunition. I am directing the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel to make filling 89B positions a critical need. There will be expanded training programs and more classes held per year. What I will further request is increased funding for Ammunition procurement and the steady improvement of ammunition facilities and equipment. Those are my basic proposals, sir."

The congressman nodded. "That sounds like a good start, Mr Secretary. I just this last week visited Ft Stewart and talked with the personnel at that ASP. What they told me filled out the in between the lines part of that report. Clearly there needs to be a sustained change of attitude that starts at the top and is maintained all the way down to company level. That all starts with you, sir. You must set the tone."

The SECDEF got that message loud and clear. The congressman was telling him that if he worked hard in this area the SECDEF would get help in other areas. As an old Washington hand, SECDEF knew a good deal when it was offered.

"I can promise you sir that I will set a new tone and those below me that are tone deaf will regret that."

True to his promise, the very next week a SECDEF directive went out to all services with particular emphasis to the Army that Ammunition would no longer be the despised bastard. It was now a favored legitimate son.

Sergeant Williams knew Sergeant Alexander casually. He received his transfer orders the day after the Congressman had visited the base. Rumor as usual had moved with the speed of light and it was fairly accurate. He remembered the interview with Major Simmons. He sought out Alexander to talk to him.

"Sounds like command really got shook up by that visit."

"Yep, I got word that the ordnance company is losing virtually everyone over a period of just a few months this summer. I am surprised command is taking it this seriously."

"Yeah. But one cannot say that it's wrong. Ordnance has been given way too low a priority in the Army for a long time."

"We were lucky in our deployment, we had a good ordnance company. Not many other divisions can say the same."

"I guess it will be mostly up to us to make sure the ordnance company stays good."

They both arrived at the Ordnance company office the day after the SECDEF's appearance before Congress. Word had already trickled down that there would be big changes; if the SECDEF held to his promise about grading officers heavily on ammunition matters that would indeed have a serious effect. Nothing got the attention of ambitious officers more than that.

Captain Rogers was waiting for them and took them into his office and had the door closed.

"You two were chosen because you were the best available NCO's this division had for these positions. The importance of the Ordnance Company has been recently raised to a much higher level. The scrutiny will be increased greatly. Sergeant Williams, you will be working with Sergeant Axton, who has been the senior NCO in this company for five years. Much of the reason it is good is because of him. Sergeant Alexander, you will be working with Sergeant Parker, our best 89B. With all due respect to Sergeant Axton. She is leaving in May; Sergeant Axton is leaving at the end of June. That gives you, Sergeant Williams, 7 months and you Sergeant Alexander, just under 6 months to learn what you need to know. The QASAS here at Ft Stewart have already let us know that they will be available for training. That will be done. Dismissed."

Sergeant Axton then took Williams to his office and Liz took sergeant Alexander to her office.

Alexander was well aware of who Sergeant Parker was; everyone in the division knew of her. Tiny, cute as a button, smart and tough. She would have had to have been to have gotten herself and her people out of that clusterfuck. And then having a Congressman, and more particularly a congressman on the Armed Services Committee, thinking he owed her his life was something to think about as well. Like most combat veterans, he had doubted that that piece of shrapnel would have seriously injured or killed him; but you never knew. And she had certainly taken the hit for him.

Liz liked what she saw of Sergeant Alexander. Good looking without being too good looking; did not have that arrogant air all too many like that had. Had a very good record or Simmons would not have picked him.

"Thomas, call me Liz. My job is to teach and your job is to learn. We have less than six months for you to learn what it has taken me 3 years. Obviously you cannot become as knowledgeable as I am now in 6 months, but you can learn enough to do your job well. First off, outside of what you have picked up in the infantry, what do you know of Ammunition and how it is handled and worked?"

"Liz, I know a fair amount about transporting it; not much about storage or working on it."

"OK. Here is a basic outline that I have come up with that shows what I do here at the Ordnance Company. I have put the appropriate references in each row so you know where to go to find out why it is done that way.'

Liz then handled him a blackbinder that had about 200 pages in document protectors. He opened it up and looked at it. He whistled as he went through it quickly.

"This is more than a full time job.'

"Yes it is."

A few days later the newbies were talking to each other at lunch.

"Axton really knows his stuff; never knew how much there was to learn."

"Parker is a workaholic; she does the work of 3 easily. Which is necessary due to the lack of competent 89Bs. But she also has it all written out with references to the regulations. So I have a real good fall back reference."

"Make a copy for me. Axton told me that Parker is the best 89B he has ever had. And she is organized up the wazoo."

For years to come, Liz's book would be the bible of the Ft Stewart Ordnance company, and would get spread around gradually over many others.

Liz looked around her office. This was the last day for her before she took 2 weeks leave and then reported to Ft Benning for OCS. Maria and the others had taken her out last night and they had had a blast. There was a dinner being held for her at a local restaurant. She had just a little while ago been given an award for sustained superior performance signed by the Division Commander; he had presented it personally. She was accumulating a very nice file of commendations and awards. Which would help in the future before promotion boards.

Sergeant Alexander had proven a quick study and was already copying her habit of talking to the QASAS as much as possible. She felt he would do a good job. Sergeant Williams looked like he would do well as the company senior NCO. The new supply techs had been worked on hard by Maria and Tess and they thought they would do ok. The going away party by Maria, Tess and Isabelle had been a little emotional. But they had all been admitted to Georgia for the fall term so Liz would find a way to visit on occasion and they could always talk to each other on the phone.

The new company Commander was already studying under Rogers, and Liz thought he would do well. Major Simmons had told her at the award ceremony that they thought that the Ordnance company would do OK, if not as good as it had been.

The SECDEF memorandum had really shaken things up; much more notice was taken of the Ammunition field, and in particular the 89B MOS. And the media had gotten into the act. There had been several requests to talk to Liz from the media; which had been refused with Liz's full approval. She did NOT want to become the poster child for anything; if she was getting out of the Military it would be OK; but as she was staying in for the time being it would be bad.

Liz felt pretty good as she left the dinner; Colonel Hough and Major Simmons had been there as was just about everyone from the Ordnance company. IT was good to be appreciated.

The only not so good note had come from Maria the night before.

"Liz, you really need to start dating. It is no fun being a nun."

And Liz had thought about that some since. Maria was right. Problem was that dating anyone in the same unit was looking for trouble; and dating anyone out of your unit was hard to do when you were as busy as Liz had been. Dating a civilian meant actually meeting one worth dating; and then the fact that in a few years you would be going anyway. Well, not much chance of her finding time in the next 2 years.

Liz spent a week visiting her mother; then left for Benning. She was able to get into her quarters early; and was able to wander around benning and talk to some people. She found that her old 89B instructor was still there and talked to him.

"How has the SECDEF's directive changed things?"

"Certainly stirred them up. Funding for more classes and more instructors. And the fact that a Brigade commander got relieved due to that mess in Iraq has tightened things up a lot. Now the question is will this be maintained long enough to change the atmosphere. That is the real question. I guess one can hope. You have done very well. As I had hoped. Sad to see you leave the 89B but I can hope that you will come back to it someday. If the emphasis remains, in four or five years 89B and ammunition will be looked upon as a good assignment."

As Liz found out, OCS was pretty tough. She had expected it, but it was still tough and not particularly pleasant. But she toughed it out; her experience and nature responding to the challenge. There were 160 in her class; 40 to a section. She was determined to lead her section by the end of the OCS. Fortunately for her that her inclinations to study and bent towards organization helped her immensely. She had always been good at tests and this was no different.

After 6 weeks the course instructors gathered for their midterm review. One of the functions they had to determine was class ranking.

"Section 1, I need your top 5. The rest of you the same. I want them by noon today. All reviews and anything derogatory I want by 1700 today."

The chief instructor was busy compiling the overall ratings. He talked to each Section Instructor to discuss the leading candidates.

"So as regards Section 3. You have Jenkins and Parker as 1 and 2; and your note says that there is a fair amount of distance to three."

"Yes sir. Its neck and neck with those two and well clear of the rest. Parker has aced the tests while the field exercises Jenkins is better and I give him the overall edge because of that but it is close."

"This is just between us, but I was told to keep a special eye on Parker for obvious reasons. Apparently that congressman has maintained an interest and the Pentagon has noticed. Is Parker just good at tests and OK at the rest?"

"No sir. Jenkins has had the edge in the field tests so far due to experience at his old MOS. Frankly, from what I have seen, Parker will probably over take him in field tests in the second half. I noticed that she steadily improved in everything she has done."

"That is good. Keep me informed."

Liz fell into her bunk just about every night exhausted. Her drive to exceed and excel sometimes was a curse. Yet she could honestly say she had never been so challenged and a part of her really liked the fact that she was being stretched. They were doing so many different things like night navigation and the like of which she had never done before; only read about. She had prepared as much as she could but the reality was a lot tougher.

Nancy had made a special trip to see Liz graduate and receive her commission. Liz had told her just the night before that of the original 160, only 122 had made it. She did not know how high she was in the class but figured she was first in her section that would graduate 34.

Liz checked her uniform carefully. It was her old Class A without the stripes but with all her ribbons. Second Lt Bars would be pinned on her uniform that day.

The top 5 students would be awarded first; then the rest by Alphabetical order. Liz was pretty sure she was in that top 5.

"Our first OCS graduate is the top student in this class. Elizabeth Rogers, front and center."

Liz managed to get through the ceremony without screwing up; the Commanding General of Ft Benning was doing the awards.

Nancy was so proud. She took lots of pictures. Liz was the only woman of the top 5; and only 23 women made it through. She noted that Liz also had more decorations or as they called them ribbons than anyone else in the entire class.

Liz was dazed as she accepted the congratulations and fingered the bars that the General had pinned on her. She huged her mother then was startled to see someone else come up and congratulate her.

"Congressman! I am surprised you are here."

"I try to make these at least once a year. Was certainly not going to miss this one. Top of the class. I expected no less."

"Mom, this is the congressman that I knocked over in Iraq."

"Saved my hide in the process. Pleased to meet you, Mrs Parker. You are very proud of your daughter, I think it is safe to say."

"VERY proud sir."

"Hate to go to business, Lt, but what have you heard as regards the emphasis in the Ammunition Area?"

"So far so good, Sir. The early signs are looking better. If this keeps up in 5 years it might be considered a good thing to be a Ammo Spec."

"That is good. Congratulations, Lt. Good day, Mrs Parker."

The general had stood off a ways watching this. He turned to his aide. "I recognized Parker at the last minute. I see that the Congressman has not forgotten her. Has she received her request; as top of the class she should get it?"

"I will make sure of that sir."

The congressman came up to the general.

"I saw that the class was about average for graduation size. The low number of women is a concern."

"Yes sir. We encourage them but the numbers are commissmerate with the percentage of women overall in the military."

"Well, having one graduate at the top of the class is good."

Liz was lucky in that there was only 2 weeks between the end of OCS and the beginning of the Aviation class at Ft Rucker. Otherwise she would have been left cooling her heels doing scut work. She was able to get there early enough that she was not pulled in for that sort of thing; and could get a jump on the Aviation school curriculum.

She had as usual researched things; and the SERE part really jumped out at her. She had never camped much or had to make do in that way; so she went on a crash course of learning about how to do that; even going so far as to take what she found out and getting some simple tools and camping out. She was lucky it was still fairly warm as her efforts to build a shelter and make a fire with virtually nothing did not go too well. She spent a week working on it and by the end of it had a better idea about things. She learned how to do simple snares and to recognize edible plants from those that would poison her. Some of the things she had learned at OCS would help.

Liz had thought that OCS was hard; but Aviation school was tougher still in other ways. She had more time off, but needed it to recover. The book parts were fairly easy; it was the field stuff that was tougher. The initial part, called Basic Officers Leadership, was basic in some ways but pretty advanced in others. That was tough sometimes. She was lucky in that they got breaks for the Holidays. That helped. Then came the next part called Dunker training.

Getting wet was not too bad. Being strapped in a seat and then dropped in the water and turning upside down was not fun. Liz did OK, she did not panic and was able to get out without help which was the main thing. What came next was worse.

Liz groaned as she sat, soaking wet, outside the tank. Final Dunker training was basically a mock up of a helicopter, dropped in the water and getting out of it while upside down. Luckily for her she had always been a good swimmer. Unluckily she had been with a couple of candidates that had panicked and pretty much trampled her in their desperate efforts to get out.

An instructor came up to her.

"Parker. Are you injured?"

"Don't think so sir; did get mauled some inside there."

"Head over to the medics and get checked out STAT."

Liz was bruised but otherwise OK and lined up with the rest of the group.

"All right that was just about a textbook example of what NOT to do. Everyone but Parker, Jones, Simms, Johnson go back in for another one. You four did well despite the efforts of your companions. You did not panic and got out of there in one piece."

That was the worst time. The rest of it was wet and uncomfortable and probably would have scared the crap out of her if not for Iraq.

Then came SERE which was basically how to escape and evade and survive if shot down and in enemy territory. She was lucky; she would not be part of the group required to go through the resistance part meant to help you survive capture and interrogation.

Still it was pretty tough; she was glad she had done some preparatory work. The graduation part was being dropped off alone and expected to make it to a certain spot within 3 days with nothing but her uniform.

Liz was determined to do well as usual; but this was the toughest thing she had ever done. She was cold and wet and hungry and aching all over. March in Alabama was nowhere near as warm as she had hoped it would be. But she gritted it out and made it to the point in time. She knew she had not excelled, but in this case she did not give a damn. She had gotten it done and that is what counted. Luckily everyone was given a week of light duty after that; they all needed that time to heal up and recover.

After that the water survival part was almost a piece of cake. She knew she had done well in that part and her natural optimism had come back.

Next came the first parts of how to lead soldiers and to familiarize oneself with the Basic tenets of Military Law. Liz did well though she had never thought all that well as regards lawyers.

The next part, called Aviation Branch Basic Officers course, was when they finally started to do aviation stuff, including the aircraft maintenance process, general aviation doctrine, and US and foreign vehicle and aircraft identification; basic familiarization with US ARMY in particular aviation. That was really interesting and Liz got into that big time.

Then came what was called AEROMED; there they learn how flight affects physiology, toxicology, gravitational forces and other subjects pertaining to flight and the human body. Getting poked and prodded and worked over was fun and was borderline painful at times.

Then came the real training on flying. It started out as what was called Initial Entry Rotary Wing Training (IERW).

The first day, Liz was paired up with a Captain Thomas; and got into a TH67, which he explained was what most Police copters were, a Jet Bell Ranger. Liz had seen them before so at least she had some idea.

"Ever flown in a chopper before?"

"Once when I was medevaced in Iraq."

He blinked at that. "Combat?"

"Mortar round landed in the ASP I was at and I caught a piece in my back. It was really not bad enough but they called in the chopper anyway."

Then he remembered; he thought the name had sounded familiar. Well so far she was doing well. But even good soldiers sometimes made lousy pilots so they would see.

Liz felt really good; this is what she wanted to do. Fly. The Captain took them up and they flew for almost 30 minutes while he explained things. They needed that closed helmet because she had not really believed just how noisy helicopters were. They landed and with the other students a critique was given. This would happen after every flight.

The instructors eased everyone into it; Captain Thomas said that the idea of throwing people in the pool and seeing if they can sink or swim does not work with flying. The aircraft are much too expensive. Bodies they can always get, he said with a bloodthirsty grin that made Liz laugh.

Within a week Liz got her hands on the controls; she was thrilled but managed to maintain control pretty well. Hover training first; and that was a lot harder than one might think. Then moving slowly forwards; then turning slowly; then moving backwards slowly. Everything was done slowly.

One fact that was drilled into them every day was to do a very good and thorough pre flight check. Captain Thomas told her that in helicopter accidents, a faulty pre flight check was a factor in almost half of them.

They gradually moved to harder tasks; interspersed with classroom as what was done in the flying was first done in the classroom then the simulator then the actual chopper.

Liz remembered well the day she did everything except land; pre flight, take off, fly and then hover while the instructor landed. She could not wait to do it all.

That opportunity came after a rough period when Captain Thomas told her she needed to relax.

The first time she had landed, she had thought she had done well but the instructor told her that she had not done as well as she had thought.

"You got tunnel vision. Concentrating so much on carefully landing you did not register anything else. You need to figure this out. Here are some guides into relaxation and prioritization while flying."

That was tough for Liz to grasp; concentration and focus had been a part of her life as long as she could remember. She tried meditation and while that helped after it did not help during. Finally she tried visualization and keeping to a process and that worked.

Two weeks later she soloed. She was about one third the way down the class ranks but she was content. The experience was glorious.

Next came instruments and that was a lot tougher. Relying on them instead of what you could see was hard to do. Liz worked through it steadily if not spectacularly. She was finding it hard to get used to not being one of the top students. She was in the top 3rd but that was still a comedown.

Basic Combat skills required them to transition to the UH1; which Liz liked better. It was lighter and easier to control if more sensitive to the controls.

Then they began to work on coordinating artillery strikes; calling it in themselves which meant figuring exactly where the strike was needed and getting that clearly to the ground controller.

Coordinating multiple choppers came next; Liz did better there though she was not sure why. She just did.

Now almost 6 months had gone by; three more months in the IERW. It was getting towards the Holidays again. Liz was a little lonely but had been able to visit the girls at Athens a couple of times. That had been great and helped her relax.

The next part was called Night Vision. They spent several days using them in a blacked out room; getting used to them. Then they started flying at night; just as observers getting used to the idea and the goggles and their limitations.

Liz was nervous the first time she was actually flying using goggles; it was nerve wracking but she gradually got with it. After 4 weeks she was doing what she had done during the day at night, if not so easily or as stress free. Captain Thomas told her that she was progressing well and that helped.

Then the Christmas break came and Liz volunteered to stay at the school with a few on the instructors to get in more practice. Only about a dozen of the class did; most of them that needed more work. Liz was really the only one doing well that stayed and she ended up helping some of the others.

The Chief of the instructors talked to Captain Thomas about Parker.

"How is she doing?"

"She is steadily getting better. She had a rough period early on but forced herself through it; she is quite solid. Not inspired or brilliant; but very strong in all areas. One thing is that she is constantly improving. I think she may be one of those that might not be really great starting out but keeps working at it and eventually does it the hard way. Her staying over is an example of that; and she is good at instructing. I think down the road she would be a good addition to the school."

As the Night vision courses resumed after the Christmas Break, Liz found that the extra time and practice came in handy. She gradually became somewhat comfortable flying at night using the goggles.

The next part was truly hair raising; they began to get basic instruction on how to land a damaged chopper. Practicing auto rotation was something more than a thrill; it was terrifying. Once again it was classroom, then simulators, then the real thing. Liz found that while terrifying, she was pretty good at auto rotation. They were taught to not so much listen for trouble as that was pretty hard to so with the hearing protection and helmets on, but more of a feel, vibrations and the like. And told that while they should rely on the readouts of their instruments, that sometimes they would lie and you had to double check as best you can.

After scaring the students with the work on emergencies, the next was less terrifying but more mentally stressful as they started to work on becoming units. They were organized into platoons with rotating commanders. Heavy use was made of simulators tied together called the Symnet.

There was a gap between classes that happened to coincide with Labor Day and the class was given a couple of extra days. Liz took advantage and headed over to Athens to visit her friends. Maria, Tess and Isabelle were just starting their second year at Georgia and had gotten an apartment together. Liz had a blast letting her hair down and partying.

After getting plastered that Saturday night, Liz shuffled down to the kitchen and made coffee. Maria was soon with her, both slowly surfacing from their hangovers.

"So, Chica, how goes the rotorhead business?"

"Getting there, slowly. It's tough for me not being at the head of the class; I am only in the top 3rd so far."

Maria giggled, then regretted that. "Ouch. Don't make me laugh. Liz, it's OK not to be first, you know."

"I guess. Tough lesson for me to learn. But I am getting there. Flying is great; it's very definitely what I want to do. I have only just under 4 months to go."

"Decided which one to go for?"

"I like the idea of the Kiowa; small and quick."

"Gee, I wonder why."

Glaring at her friend, Liz went on. "But I think I am going to fall in love with the Master Nasty."

"What is that?"

"What I call the Apache."

"OOOhhh. You like BIG guns."

"Ya."

Maria was pensive. Liz looked at her friend. "What?"

"Dating anyone?"

"When would I have time?"

"No excuse."

Liz sighed. "I guess I am afraid to start; anyone I meet now I am going to be leaving. No one in my class really revs my engine."

"Well at least maybe you are thinking about it."

"Yeah. I would like to."

"Well I guess that is progress."

"How about you?"

Maria ducked her head and Liz's eyes got huge. She squealed and they both held their heads in pain.

"Ugh Liz."

"Sorry but SPILL."

"His name is Michael and he is an artist but looks nothing like one."

"Details."

"Rough looking. Old style Marlon Brando."

"OOOHHHH."

"Yeah."

Tess and Isabelle slowly made their way in and went for the coffee.

"So how about the two walking zombies?"

Tess and Isabelle fried her with a look.

"Tess is seeing a guy who is in criminology-cop family. Kyle. Iz is seeing a computer geek named Alex."

"Computer geek?"

"Alex is much more than a computer geek" Isabelle proclaimed loftily.

"Wow. Sounds like everyone is getting some except me."

"Told you being a nun is no fun."

Tess looked at her friend. "Liz, really, you have got to get out there before you officially become a spinster."

"Yeah a spinster who loves big guns."

Isabelle and Tess both blinked.

"Liz is going to be an Apache driver."

"OOOHHHH. Big guns."

"ya."

Liz smiled as she remembered the weekend as she sat waiting for the class to begin. They were back into working as platoons in constantly rotating groups. She was definitely doing better; she was more and more comfortable running a group. She had quietly put in her bid for the Apache; and for the 101st Aviation brigade at Ft Campbell, Kentucky. They had been told they would get their assignment soon.

Captain Thomas was lead instructor this day and called the class to order in the lecture hall.

"All right first off everyone got their first choice as regards type. That usually happens but congratulations anyway. Here are you post assignments. I will call out your name and come and get it."

Liz tore open her envelope and read the contents. She smiled. She got what she wanted.

4 weeks later she got her first ride in an Apache. IT was love at first site. She had never even seen one up close until coming to Rucker. Now she had and she wanted one.

An Apache was pure nasty; it was meant to blow things up and take punishment. It was the chopper version of the A-10. The Pilot sat in the second position behind the copilot who normally was the main gunner. But all weapons could be fired from both seats. It had a tricycle landing gear, which was different than most helicopters. All in all it was a very different type of chopper..

And it had serious bite. A 30 MM chain gun in the chin; two pods carrying 2.75" rockets and the stubby wings could also handle 4 Hellfire missiles. Just in case the tip pylons could each hold a Stinger.

The versions they would be flying were unarmed of course; but had been configured so that the pylons and everything else were there and loaded with weight so that the training models would act exactly as the real thing loaded for war would.

The class had been broken up so that each class now was concentrated with the various different types of chopper. Liz and 21 other students would now spend all their time learning about the Apache. She was glad she would still be working with Captain Thomas; she was very comfortable learning from him.

It was a very sophisticated aircraft for a Helicopter; rumor had it the only birds that were more were the special operations versions that had all sorts of rumored goodies. Its electronics rivaled the newest fighters; the bird itself was finely put together. The Apache had been in service coming onto 20 years so the bugs had been mostly worked out. Early on there had been some trouble with the radios; it was finally figured out that some of the electronic systems conflicted with the radios. They had been built by different companies and no one had thought to test them out together. So when they were put in the Apache and she started to operate, the troubles puzzled everyone for years. But that had been sorted out. They had had an impressive record in war.

Any helicopter is much more susceptible to battle damage than just about any airplane. The rotors were very vulnerable; and the engines were huge heat producers that meant any heat seeking missile had great targets. You could not armor a helicopter like you could an A-10. During the initial battles in the Iraq war, a battalion of Apache's had flown into a flak trap that had shot one down and had damaged 30 others in the most notorious action yet. But people forget that with what was shot at them the enemy still only knocked one down and all but a few were easily reparable. The Apache's had historically dealt out hundreds of hits for every one they took.

The first time Liz was at the controls of an Apache she was in the copilot seat; as was procedure. It was very different then the pilot seat. Depending on the manning situation where she went, Liz might be a copilot before a Pilot slot opened up; which might take several months. So getting to know what it was like in the front seat was a good idea anyway. Liz loved the power of the ship; even fully loaded she had plenty extra. It was very maneuverable if not as much so as the UH1. But then it was a lot bigger and heavier as well.

One not so fun thing about the Apache was the huge preflight check list. Which was not surprising considering the complexity of the helicopter. Liz was glad they would get 12 full weeks to get used to it. She figured she would need every one.

Being a pilot mean having check sheets and log books and all sorts of records; which was normal for Liz anyway. Your pockets were always full and you never went anywhere without a notebook. It was very complicated but very ordered and organized and as always Liz felt comfortable in that.

Four weeks after her first flight, Liz did her solo. And from that time on she flew in the pilot seat and the Instructor flew in the copilot seat. The next 8 weeks Liz truly loved it. She was home and she knew it; she was an Apache Driver and that was where she belonged.

The last two weeks the Apache students were allowed to start firing the weapons of the armed birds available. The first time Liz fired the 2.75's she was gassed; she was very good at putting 30MM on target and she did miss a single shot with the hellfires.

The instructors were working on their final reports and recommendations; class placement was not truly a great deal. Just that everyone wanted to make sure that no mistakes were made.

The Chief Instructor went over each student one by one.

"Parker."

"As I put in my preliminary, she constantly works at improving her skills. She takes every spare minute to do more and it shows. She has progressed to the point that she is close to being the best Apache candidate we have. She is extra good at placing munitions on target. She was the only one that never missed with a hellfire and no one did any better with the rockets or the gun. Her scores in the simulators are very close to what she does in the bird itself; that is rare. All indications are that she keeps a cool head in high stress situations. I cannot really find anything that I can ding her on. Outside of maybe needing a telephone book to sit on."

The Chief instructor had to laugh at that. It was interesting seeing the tiny pilot in the apache cockpit. "One could consider her small size an advantage; less of a target to hit and that lower weight is not something to sneeze at. A couple of the other pilots outweigh her by 100 lbs. That counts."

"Yes it does. I have no problem signing her off with no reservations or restrictions."

They were lucky in that the graduation Ceremony would be on Dec 18. Just in time for everyone to head off for Christmas. As luck would have it the girls would be able to make it, Christmas break starting day before. Nancy had flown in. Liz would fly back with her and stay for two weeks before heading back to report to Ft Campbell, Kentucky.

Liz ended up being ranked 14th out of a class of 91, but more to the point she was 2nd among the Apache candidates. She had made up a lot of ground in the last three months. She was content with her lot.

Once again Nancy took lots of pictures; very proud once again that her daughter clearly had more decorations than any other student. Liz would get her promotion to 1st Lt upon arrival at Ft Campbell. Nancy had been looking around for the last several years for another job and had found one; she would be telling Liz that she was now a State Employee of Ohio. Specifically Colombus, working in the State Department of Transportation as a Personnel officer. It was good money and she would be able to bring her 23 years with her to Ohio. Which meant she only had to work 15 more to retire. And it was less than 400 miles to Ft Campbell.

Liz was happy the graduation ceremony was over and she could be with her mother and her friends. They had a good time over dinner before they all headed off to visit their families for Christmas Break. Liz and Nancy would stay at a motel before flying out the next day back to Wyoming.

Liz looked at her mother; something was up.

"OK, mom, Spill. Something is up."

Nancy smiled. "I got another job. With the state of Ohio as a personnel officer with the Department of Transportation. Columbus Ohio. Which is only 400 miles from Ft Campbell."

"Mom that is great! We will be able to see each other more."

"Already have the house up for sale and hope to have it sold in a month. My job starts in February."

"I will see if I can get some leave and help you."

"That would be nice but I can do it."

"I want to. Well I can at least clean my room out."

"Are you going for Base Housing?"

"Yes. I should get it."

"With all the money you have saved over the years, by the time you want to buy a house you might be able to pay cash."

"Well not quite. And I want to save a fair amount for other things. One of which is I am going to take more vacations now. "

"That is good to hear; I always have thought you need to do more of that."

"Well I intend to. And I am going to start examining the local male population and start hunting."

"Finally."

"Mom."

"Liz, you are about to be 24 and you have not dated at all since you were in High School, and not much there."

"Well I now know what I want to do and have gotten most of the work out of the way."

"You really love flying?"

"It's what I have been looking for."

"That reminds me. Don't you have to take college courses?"

"Winning the DSC took care of that. Now as regards promotions beyond flying, yeah I will need to do that. But I am more thinking that I will try and get my 20 in, then go for civil aviation. As long as I can fly I will be happy. From what Captain Thomas said, he was my instructor, I can probably make it to Major before the lack of higher education stops me. That gives me at least 8 years. And lots of flying experience. So even if I get the heave ho at that point, I should have no problem getting a good job."

Nancy took in the relaxed and confident manner Liz was showing; she seemed very content. Which was all she wanted for her daughter.

Liz was able to gather everything she wanted from the house and send it to Ft Campbell. She actually had very little besides clothes. Nancy was fortunate and got a good offer within days and accepted it. They started to pack up and got most of it done before Liz left to head to Ft Campbell. She would fly to Rucker where she had left her car and then drive there. She realized that she had more books, references, notebooks and the like then she actually had civilian clothes. The back seat and trunk of her small car were full of that.


	3. Chapter 3

Ft Campbell, Kentucky straddled the border with Tennessee, at the far western part of the state, not far from Illinois. Hilly and wooded; an hours drive from Nashville. Liz loved the look of the area; she had become addicted to green and trees. There were lakes and good sized rivers around. It was a little cooler than Rucker had been; and about as wet.

Liz checked in on Jan 5, 2007. She reported to the 101st Aviation Brigade HQ. The Brigade had just returned and personnel were changing out. The Battalion CO was in and greeted her.

"Lt Parker. Glad to have you aboard. You picked a good time to show up; lots of work needs to be done."

"Yes sir. It looks like you are having a fairly heavy personnel turnover here."

"Always do right after a deployment. You will probably get a bird right off; but flying will not come soon. We have some here for training but our operational ships will not be ready for a month at least."

"Understood sir."

Liz was put to work getting her own paperwork done and starting up. It was very busy. She was put in A Company of the first battalion. 1st Platoon. Each platoon had 4 Apache's; 2 platoons to a company; 3 companies to a battalion. Her platoon commander was a 1st Lt like her, James Winston. The other two were WO's, Ken Simpson and Jake Logan. The copilots were all WO's. She was lucky in that the two warrants had just made Pilot; so she was not so much the newbie as she had thought she could be. She had yet to meet her Copilot, who was also new as was two other copilots. So of the 8 pilots and copilots in A Company (known as Spectres), herself and 3 WO's were new to the unit. But she was the only recent graduate of the School. All the copilots were relatively new; most having graduated in the last year. The Platoon commander was the only real veteran, she found out. He had been there for almost 3 years and would probably be transferred out in the next year. It did not take a rocket scientist for Liz to realize that she was thus being slotted to take command of the platoon in the not so far off future. The other platoon was much the same; Captain ED Griffith, was also the company commander. It was interesting as that platoon also had two officers like hers did. All the rest were WO's.

The first few days was meet and greet and get to know each other. Liz would always smile when she remembered meeting her copilot, WO2 Ted Dugan. It was the third day, early in the morning. Her quarters were comfortable; she was not sure if she would stay in BOQ or find something outside. She had just got into the HQ when Griffith called to her.

"Parker, here is your copilot. Ted Dugan, Liz Parker. You two spend some time getting to know each other. There will not be any flying for at least a few weeks while they are working on your bird. We have some new Pilots that need time in the trainers; Parker since you just got out of school you are last in line."

Liz looked up to Ted. And up. He was about 6'2" at least. He grinned at her.

"Gonna need a phone book?"

"How is the weather up there?"

ED Winston watched this and smiled; they would be fine. He had not served with a female officer yet in the same platoon. But her record certainly was not skimpy even if she was a new pilot. But flying an Apache in combat was very different. She had done well at the school; 2nd in her class in Apache's. She was tiny though. But that was not a bad thing in the pilot seat of an Apache.

Liz and Ted got on like a house on fire. He treated her as his older sister and she treated him as a younger brother. He had transferred in from the 1st ID Aviation Brigade when they had too many. He had come out of Rucker in the class just before Liz's. Like her, he had not flown all that much. He had come to the 101st in hope of getting more flying time. And it looked like he had come to the right place.

Liz met her crew chief the next day, and the rest of the crew the day after. Her Chief was a somewhat grizzled Sarge named Gunt. Everyone called him Grunt. She had smiled at him.

"Sarge,is this a good bird?"

"It's pretty new; did well over there. Has fewer problems because my birds ALWAYS have fewer problems as long as you pilots don't screw up."

"Sounds like a deal, Sarge."

Liz found that she felt right at home with the people there in the Aviation Brigade. Here excellence was expected and demanded. Big change from working the ASP. Everyone knew her story and she had gotten some questions about that convoy and what had REALLY happened. At lunch the first week Ted asked.

"So, Liz, what was the REAL story about that convoy?"

Liz sort of smiled. "What did you hear?"

"Well, not long after it happened the word seemed to be that the LT was a total asshole and just about delivered that convoy on a platter to the bad guys. You got creative and managed to pull everyone out."

"That is about it. He was a total Asshole. Damn near got us all killed. No one talks about the Sergeant he took with him. From what I was able to find out he was a pretty good guy. I wrote a letter to his parents later on, telling them that he had nothing to do with the screwup and was just in the wrong place with the wrong idiot at the wrong time."

Ted blinked. "That was stand up to do."

"Everyone around there told me the LT was a joke and the sergeant was always trying to salvage the situation. That time there was no way he could. Just goes to show you what happens when you have a Moron in command. I WANTED the family to know that if anyone tried to place any blame on him they were full of crap. They wrote me back a while ago telling me thank you, and they indeed had had some who were commenting that he had something to do with that clusterfuck."

Unbeknown to Liz, right in hearing range was one of her crewmen. He quietly filled in the Sarge about that later.

Grunt was an old time soldier; never really liked having women in the military let along combat. But he had a few more years before retirement and knew he had to put up with them. Parker seemed nice enough; and competent enough. But what the crewman had told him made a difference. She was starting to move into the area of acceptance, past just someone to put up with.

The first few weeks dragged a little, until the choppers were done being refurbed. Then Liz got to fly and she loved it. Flying an Apache was complicated; but there were procedures to handle it and that always came easy for Liz. The actual stick time was what she lived for. She flew every moment she could; fired as much ammo as she could. And she was very good at that.

"Well, Parker sure does know how to shoot."

"Yeah. Top shot by a couple of points."

"How is she otherwise?"

"Well it's no surprise that she is very organized. But she also seems to be able to improvise and react well to sudden situations. I really cannot fault her on much of anything; she is green of course but she is scrounging every flight minute she can get. And Ted let me know that she really makes it a point to let him do as much as possible as well. She loves to shoot but lets him take most of the shots. Fact is she is a fair amount better. They get in serious combat she should be the one taking the shot; he is good enough with the stick to take care of that end. Not saying he is really bad but she is a lot better."

"How are her evals on him?"

"Say he is solid; needs to improve his shooting. But that is the only real gig she has on him. I have seen nothing to show that she is giving him an easy time or hard time. Just watching she seems like a natural instructor. She has Grunt on her side as well."

"Well no wonder."

"Word I got is that he was going that way even before she stood up for him."

The incident had happened a week earlier. Grunt had gone to supply and gotten some replacement ignition cartridges and when opening the box found them short. He had gone back and the supply sergeant claimed it was Grunt's mess up. As his Pilot, Liz had gotten the call when the Lt at the supply room called up to complain about her sergeant. Liz had gone right down there and laid into them. Demanded to see the magazine data cards. And the issue record. And the MDC had shown the count was off but the supply sergeant on taking them out of the ASP had screwed up. Liz's background as an 89B had come in handy. From that point on Grunt was definitely in her corner.

"The word is that the head of the ASP ordered a special inventory and found a whole bunch of mistakes."

"Yeah. Matter of fact there was some talk they wanted to grab Liz to be an observer on that since she had been an 89B. I managed to stamp on that with help from Brigade. The Ordnance company is short of good 89B's and he was afraid they would go to the division commander and grab Liz and transfer her."

"I doubt that would have happened."

"I don't know; the army has really tightened up there over the last couple of years. You know the word is, I got this from the Ordnance Company commander, is that Parker is one of the reasons behind the push for more 89B's and making them more important."

"Really?"

"Yeah. That congressman she saved was the one that put the SECDEF on the spot about the Ammunition specialists at a congressional hearing. He had visited the Stewart ASP the week before and talked to Parker then."

"If they had transferred her, I wonder if she would have dropped a dime to the Congressman?"

"I do not see her doing that. But I would not be surprised if one of her friends did."

"True. She seems to make friends easily."

"Well she is a nice girl and just seems like everyone's idea of a great kid sister."

Liz still heard from Sgt Axton who had transferred to Ft Carson. The new emphasis on Ammunition had so far been maintained and he remarked that he was seeing signs it was sinking in. The ASP there had gotten new equipment and other funding increases.

Meanwhile the Division Commander of the 101st was talking to his G4.

"DO you think this info is accurate?"

"Sir, something like this happened at Bragg two years ago. Spec Ops is Spec Ops; sometimes the attitude of we can do whatever we want gets out of hand."

"Technically this is not my responsibility."

"True sir. It is on Ft Campbell and therefore is more the Installation Commanders area since Spec Ops is a tenant organization."

"He is not liable to do anything?"

"Sir, he is about to retire and does not want the hassle."

"Your information is pretty specific."

"Yes sir. From people outside of Spec Ops who have been in their ASP."

"Have you talked to our QASAS?"

"Yes sir. They have a hunch that the info is correct; but there are only two of them and they are very busy. There really should be a third QASAS just to keep an eye on them."

"That has been pushed but shot down at higher HQ. The Berets apparently got offended at the suggestion and the brass showed yellow."

"What about me having a quiet conversation with General Brown?"

"That might be the best way to go. Pressure from their HQ would get things done a lot faster."

"How did that special inventory go?"

"Uncovered a pile of mistakes that should have been caught. Problem is that while the Army has started to wake up to the Ammunition Specialties importance, there is still a lot of dead wood and the new classes of 89B's are just now hitting the Ordnance companies and they are GREEN. Our officers are not ordnance or ammo; and the senior sergeants are not either. The QASAS is working with them but one just got deployed and the other will have all he can do with the day to day work. The LAR is on sick leave and will probably retire. There just is not anyone with experience enough to really help down there."

"We need help. Where do we get it?"

"Well sir, we do have an officer here on post that is a former 89B. Now in aviation as an Apache Driver."

"Parker."

"Yes sir."

"Will her tame congressman scream if we pull her out of her Apache?"

"If we make it short term it should be OK. Just a month should do it; the new QASAS will be here by then and I made sure the Career Office sent us an experienced and good one. Parker can get it started and straightened out."

"OK. Call her and the aviation brigade commander in."

Liz wondered what was up; as far as she knew she had not screwed up anything. Why did the Brigade Commander want to see her?

Griffith was in the dark as well; he had gotten a call from the Brigade Commander that the Division commander wanted him and Lt Parker in his office in an hour. He had looked at Liz.

"You do anything?"

"Nothing I can think of."

"Watch your six."

Liz walked into the Brigade Commanders office; he motioned her to follow into his vehicle.

"Lt, do you have any idea what is going on?"

"None sir. I know I have not done anything that would have the Division commander after me and he would not do it personally anyway."

"True. Well I guess we will find out quick enough."

Liz was racking her brain when something niggled at her. The Colonel saw this.

"What?"

"A little more than a week ago I had to back up my crew chief over a discrepancy on impulse cartridges as regards to a faulty count. I demanded we go into the Mag and check the magazine data cards. It was screwed up. I know they did a special inventory and found a lot of problems. From what I could see in that one magazine there could be more."

"That is right; you were an 89B. They might want to do a full wall to wall inventory and have you be part of it. I know there was talk of trying to pull you in when they did the special but I raised hell about it. That sounds like they found more problems than just inventory."

They got to division HQ where they were showed right into the Commanders office and in there were the commander and the Division G4.

"Colonel, LT, I will get right down to it. Our ASP is screwed up bad. And because of a variety of reasons there is no one to be had to fix it. Therefore I am detaching Lt Parker from Aviation and giving her TDY to the Ordnance Company as acting Commander. A new one is on his way but things need to be done NOW. This should be only for a month or so."

The colonel sighed and looked at Liz. She looked at him then at the General.

"Yes Sir."

The general nodded. "The sustainment brigade Commander will take you down there. You are given full authority to do whatever it takes. Chop any rotten wood. I have gotten on the horn to the QASAS Career office and a new veteran QASAS will be here in one month. He will advise the new CO that is coming in. But I want you to get the heavy lifting done ASAP."

Liz and the Sustainment Brigade commander only had a little while to talk. He was blunt.

"LT, you do what you have to. You will have full support all the way up the ladder and if anyone gives you any backtalk I want to know about it right then. That company has to be shocked into competence."

"Yes Sir. Sir I have my materials from when I was at Stewart in my Quarters. I will need that ASAP."

"Let's stop by and get that now. You will have a driver and a vehicle at your disposal."

The Brigade Commander walked into the office and the people there shot to their feet. He waved them down and headed to the Commanders office. Liz waited in the main room, well aware of all the eyes that were on her. She maintained a blank expression; all the while going through her mind what to do and what order it would come in. And how to do it. She realized she would have to come in hard and mean.

The Brigade Commander came out and looked around.

"I want every soldier in the Ordnance Company here immediately."

Those in the office area started to scramble. Liz slipped out and got all her materials and was barely able to carry it all in.

In half an hour the entire ordnance company was assembled in the only room big enough; the break room at the Ordnance HQ. Even then it was a tight fit.

"Effective Immediately Captain Jackson has been relieved for cause. Lt Parker is now acting Commander. I will be blunt: this unit is a mess and she will be starting the cleanup. She has backup all the way to the Division Commander to do whatever she thinks she needs to. That is all." He then left the building and Liz walked up and stood in front of them.

"I want all sergeants and officers in my office now."

She was glad to see that the previous occupant was already gone. She walked in and sat behind the desk while the two other officers and 4 sergeants came in. They remained standing until she inclined her head and they sat.

"I know how a good Ordnance Company is run because I was part of one at Ft Stewart a little over two years ago. You are all aware of the new climate as regards Ammunition specialists and Ammunition in general. That is why this action was taken in this manner." She calmly looked at them.

"Officers first by seniority, then sergeants alike. I want to know your responsibility and experience level in ammunition. Be brief. I will then ask each of you some questions."

Liz waited till they left the room before forcing herself to relax. The two officers were typical ordnance officers; transferred there because they had screwed up elsewhere. The sergeants were not bad; they looked salvageable. Problem was they were not 89Bs. All the 89Bs were still E3 and E4. She took out the personnel files on them and saw that they looked ok. The LTs files showed what she expected. She called the Brigade commander.

"I just got back to my office, Lt. Just how bad is it?"

"The two officers have to go NOW. Typical screw-ups hidden in ordnance. The Sergeants are salvageable; the 89Bs I think are good enough just too green and too junior to do much. I need replacements for those LTs. Does not matter where they come from as long as they are good."

"You will have two new ones by Tomorrow."

Liz got off the phone and went outside – she noticed the officers were not in sight but just about everyone else was still there. They watched her like birds watching a hungry snake.

"89Bs. In My office now." She looked at two supply techs. "Those documents on that table. Start making copies. I want a dozen ASAP."

She looked at the 89Bs then started peppering them with questions- she took almost an hour. Then she let them go. One of the supply techs poked her head in the door.

"Sir, we have those copies."

"Good work."

She looked at the clock. It was almost noon. She went out the door. They were still all there.

"OK people I have to sort things out. Get outta here and eat. Be back at 1300 ready to start working. We might be here late tonight."

Liz went back into the office and started to make notes. Her phone rang.

"Ordnance, Parker Speaking."

"Liz. What is the scoop- all the Brigade commander told us was that you were TDY and nothing else." If was Griffith.

"The ordnance company is hosed and I will be spending the next month starting the cleanup. Tell Ted to have fun flying."

"OK. If you need cover fire let us know."

"Might take you up on that. I am not going to be starting any cars or walking alone anytime soon."

At the other end Griffith blinked. This was a Liz that sounded deadly serious. Just how bad was it?

Liz made some notes; then sat back and deliberately relaxed and closed her eyes. She decided that she had to go on as she had started.

At 1300 everyone was back and Liz began.

"These documents will be your bible from this point on. Any deviation from them will be scrutinized very closely. If you are wrong my foot will be up your ass. There is no leeway here. Let me make that clear. You will all spend the next hour going over this. Meanwhile I want to see all the SOPs that have anything to do with ammunition."

Liz sighed as she looked at the last of the SOPs. None were out of date but they were all virtually worthless. Luckily she had kept copies of the ones she had had at Ft Stewart. She went out into the main room.

"OK. Here are sops from Ft Stewart that I used. You will take the current SOPs and replace them with these, making the necessary changes as regards Building numbers, phone numbers and the like. This will be done By Friday. Since this is Tuesday afternoon you will be working hard and long. I will assign the SOPs. Now- what issues are due out in the next few days?"

The supply tech that had told her the docs had been done came forward with some 1348-1's in her hand. Liz looked at her.

"What is your name?"

"Supply Tech Ava Jamison."

"OK, Ava. From now on you are the senior supply tech and you will inform me first thing each morning what is due to go out. I will be the only one signing 1348-1's for the immediate future."

"Yes sir."

Liz took the 1348's back to her office after she had assigned the SOPs to various people to do. The senior sergeant poked his head in a while later.

"Sir, the two LTs have been reassigned."

"Make sure their offices are cleaned out tonight. There will be new officers here tomorrow."

The Sergeant blinked and nodded. "Yes sir."

He went out into the area where everyone was frantically going over the SOP's. He sat next to one of the other sergeants.

"She rolled both of them already."

Everyone within hearing distance started working faster.

At 1900 that evening Liz came out of her office and looked at everyone.

"We have done all we can today. Get some sleep tonight; we will have another long day tomorrow. I want everyone here at 0600."

Liz personally locked the HQ building. She went out to find her driver waiting.

"Name?"

"Johnson, sir."

"Take me to my quarters; Pick me up at O500 tomorrow morning. You will stay at the Ordnance HQ – I will be moving around more tomorrow."

"Yes sir."

Liz kept snacks in her room at the BOQ. Luckily by chance she had a couple of MRE's there. She showered and ate them then fell into bed at 2100. She was up at 0430 and ready to go by 0500. The Mess hall did not open up until 0530 but one of the fast food places opened up then and they went there and got something for breakfast. She then unlocked the Building and went in and turned on the lights. She looked at him.

"Stick close. I will be moving a lot today."

Everyone was in by 0600. Including two new Lts. She motioned them in to her office. And closed the door.

"What have you been told; and then give me a brief of your experience in the military."

0630 she took them out of her office and introduced them to the rest of the Company. Then she told them to see to it that the two LTs read every single SOP that day.

After that she paused.

"We have some issues to make today. I will be doing them personally until I approve someone else to. Everyone but one 89B and a supply tech will stay in here working on SOPs." She then called in the 89B she selected into her office.

"Here is the 1348. Tell me what you will do with it."

His answers were acceptable and they went out into the area to pick up the supply tech and go out to the ASP.

The SOPs were indeed done by Friday Morning. She called up the Brigade commander.

"I have all new SOP's ready to be signed off."

"Have them brought to me; I will have my XO working them. How is it going?"

"Sir, for a while yesterday I got a slight glimpse at what Travis thought when Santa Anna showed up. But it's getting better. The two new LTs are good; I think they will work out. I spent the last two days either doing necessary issues or working the SOPs. I am going to go through the magazines of the ASP one by one this weekend. I will be working everyone 12 hrs at least a day until further notice."

"As long as progress is made there will be no questions, Lt."

"Thank you sir."

Sunday afternoon they closed the last magazine. There had been a fair amount of problems. The QASAS had come by on Saturday and told her that so far as he was concerned she was doing fine. He had already gone over the SOPs and had signed off; the Brigade XO had told her that by Monday they would all be approved.

They worked the rest of the week 0600 to 1800 each day. Then Friday she gathered everyone at 1700.

"People we have made a fair amount of progress. Get outta here but be back by 0600 Monday."

If she had shouted raid in a cathouse the room could not have cleared faster.

She walked out and nodded to her driver. He took her to her quarters. She got into civilian duds and left the base to eat a quiet dinner on the town. Then went back to her quarters and slept like the dead until the next morning. She spent that day and Sunday deliberately not thinking about things; she called up Maria and the girls and talked for hours, not mentioning what was going on. Sunday she called her mother for a long talk. She did tell her mother that she was busy cleaning up someone else's mess.

Meanwhile back at the Aviation brigade the rumors were trickling in from the rest of the division.

"I heard she had two Lts relieved and tossed off the installation right after the Brigade commander did the same to the Company commander."

"I heard she ripped everyone a brand new one."

"The blood was knee deep."

"They had to bring in a box of air fresheners as half the company shit their pants."

Griffith and Winston listened to this and shook their heads. They went into Griffiths office and shut the door. Winston looked at him.

"How bad is it?"

"She came in like Genghis Khan, is the word I got. Took no prisoners. Rolled the two Lts in an hour. She had replacements the first thing next morning. Worked their asses off 11 straight days. Then gave them the weekend off. Have not heard so far this week but it is only Monday morning."

"Anyone questioning if she can do the hard things won't anymore."

"That might have been the only question I had about her; was she tough enough and mean enough to act like that in a situation that required it? That has been rather decisively answered in the affirmative."

The next week Liz began to ease off as serious progress was made. The attitude of the Ordnance company began to move back from the terrified mode to the alert and watchful mode. They spent the next week cleaning up the magazines; the QASAS made time to come down and go over things. He was very happy with what she had done.

The Division commander looked at his G4.

"General Brown is going to do a surprise inspection of the Spec Ops Field ASP tomorrow. He will fly in with no notice and be at their gate. He is bringing with him an IG inspector, a CID man and a senior QASAS."

"Good."

"Sir?"

Liz looked up from the never ending paperwork at her new XO, Lt James.

"Yes?"

"Just got word that General Brown has arrived at the Field ASP for the Spec Ops with an inspection team. A no notice inspection."

Liz blinked. "Maybe they had it worse than we did?"

"If we see any bodies hanging on the lamp posts at the main gate I guess we will know."

Liz smiled, slightly. "That is my rep?"

"Yes Maam."

"I can accept that. Keep your ears open."

"Yes maam."

"General Davidson, while this is technically not your concern, I wanted to let you know."

"I take it that it was bad, General Brown?"

"Worse than your info had it. I have relieved everyone above the rank of sergeant there. I have informed Colonel Wilson. He has just accelerated his retirement to clear the way for a new installation commander. I am talking to FORSCOM now for someone to get here quickly. In the meantime, I have recommended to them that your Sustainment Brigade Commander, who was an installation commander at Ft Bragg a few years ago, be made temporary installation commander. Right now the Spec Ops Field ASP will be closed. Pending a full investigation. So any ammunition that will be issued for Spec Ops will come from the regular ASP. The QASAS here is going over the special ammunition records to see what is useable. But that will take a while. I have been informed that you shook up your ordnance company?"

"Yes sir. Two weeks ago. They have made significant progress under their acting CO."

General Brown nodded. "I think a meeting with that Co and your Sustainment Brigade Commander is in order."

"Yes sir."

Liz had her driver take her to Division HQ. She had gotten a call to get there ASAP. She left Lt James in charge and moved.

She was told to go into the conference room. She found a 3 star and the Division Commander and what looked like a civilian and a CID and an IG officer. As well as the Sustainment Brigade Commander. She stopped and threw a rigid salute to the 3 star.

He returned it sharply. "At ease Lt." Then motioned her to a seat between the Division commander and the sustainment commander. When she sat down the General began.

"I am General Brown. The results of a no notice inspection on the Special Operations command Field ASP by myself and this team (introducing them) resulted in the relief for cause of most of the leadership there. Pending a full inspection, investigation and inventory, the ASP will be closed until further notice. So any ammunition issue to Special Operations personnel will now have to come from the Division ASP. Lt Parker, I have already signed emergency authorization for you to issue for Special Operations. But only you. This authority cannot be designated. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir."

"I have been informed that you have been cleaning up the Ordnance Company. Well you will now be cleaning up the Spec Ops ordnance detachment as well. You will start training up the remaining personnel alongside your own. They will be temporarily assigned to your ordnance company. If you believe they are not competent, then relieve them. You have full authority. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir."

"They will report to your HQ at 0600 tomorrow. Make use of them as you see fit."

"Yes sir."

The remaining members of the Spec Ops ordnance detachment were gathered that night at one of their quarters. They were still shaken up.

"I heard this Parker is about the size of a Chihuahua but has six inch claws and eight inch fangs and laughs as she cuts you and bleeds you."

"She gutted the Ordnance company in one hour. Worked their asses off for 11 straight days before she gave them a break. Scared the shit out of them."

"I heard those Iraqi's she killed were begging for mercy at the end."

"I talked to a guy that was there. He said she ordered them to let some wounded ones lay there and scream to intimidate the others. Then offed them herself when she wanted some peace and quiet."

Liz sat in her quarters. She wondered what could possibly come next. Still she girded herself up for the next morning.

Liz as usual got there early and opened up. To her surprise not 15 minutes later the Spec Ops people showed up. Well this was a good sign, she hoped.

"I am glad you are here early before the rest arrive. I want to make this very clear. General Brown personally gave me the authority to relieve any of you that I felt were not up to the task. I will do so if you give me reason. I will cut your professional throat without hesitation. BUT if you do a good job and show that the reason the Spec Ops ASP was a fucking piece of shit was not your doing, then you will get fair treatment from me. I already have read your personnel files. You will be working with me today and the next week at least so I can evaluate all of you."

Liz was relieved when she was able to determine that the remaining members of the Spec Ops ASP were not incompetent or stupid. They had just been badly led. By Friday she called the acting Installation CO.

"Lt Parker, I would appreciate some good news."

"I have some, sir. The remaining Spec Ops ASP personnel were not the problem. Give them the proper training and leadership they will do fine."

"That is good. The investigation just completed and there will be dereliction of duty charges and negligence charges against those already relieved. All those concerned have already resigned from the Army; or will be terminated with a general discharge. The QASAS has been reinforced by two TDY QASAS and they will be inspecting all the ammunition in the Spec Ops ASP. That should take about one week. They will need some of your people to move ammo. Until they are done none of it will be issued and you will issue what is needed to Spec Ops from the Divisional ASP. New leadership will be arriving in two weeks from Ft Bragg. I will expect you to brief them in, and also to make sure they know what they are doing. General Brown has full confidence in your judgment. If they are not up to the job, inform me immediately."

"Yes sir." Will this nightmare ever end, Liz thought.

That Saturday night Liz was woken up at 1AM by her phone.

"Parker."

"LT Parker I understand that you are now issuing for Special Operations until further notice?"

"Who is this? "

"Cannot give you my name Maam. Delta."

That woke Liz all the way up. "I will be at the ASP in 20 minutes. I will need confirmation from higher HQ."

"Understood. You will have it."

Liz chewed her lip for a minute while she got dressed. She had gotten herself rated on a Forklift; she could do it all if she had to. If this was indeed Delta Force then as few as possible needed to be there. She called the Guard Shack and alerted them. The stopped by the office for a full planograph and picked up all the keys to the ASP; technically it was a security violation but Black Ops had a quiet back door on things like that and no one was going to squawk. She took her official vehicle which she had kept and had sent Johnson back to his quarters. She drove up to the ASP and found two black vans waiting. There was no marking outside of government plates. Par for the course for Black Ops. She walked up to the lead van. Before she got to it the passenger door opened and a man in civilian clothes came out and handed her a sheet of paper. It was a ammo request for 9MM, incendiary and frag grenades and smoke grenades. Also 50 call single rds used by snipers. She quickly checked that against the bunkers and figured out where to go. She then looked at the man.

"I will need some kind of ID."

He handed her a card. It had his picture and a bar code and chip and the name John Smith. She rolled her eyes.

"Very original. OK. Lets go." She walked up to the guard shack. The soldier on duty was warily watching the vans then looked at her.

"Maam, those guys give me the willies."

"No argument. But let's give them what they want and get them out of here."

"I heard that maam."

Liz took her Hummer into the ASP with the vans following. She got to the bunker with the smoke and incendiary items in it and started there. She quickly filled out a 1348-1 and issued it to John Smith of DF. He signed it as such. She signed it as the issuer. They repeated that at two more magazines for the Small arms and the Frag grenades. They just wanted individual boxes, so she did not have to get a forklift.

It took just over an hour. When it was done Smith said.

"Thank You maam and you never saw us."

"Understood. I will keep the 1348-1's as secret documents- they will have to be used to account for inventory purposes."

"Understood." And they were gone. Liz shook her head and went back to her quarters to try and get some more sleep.

The next day she got a call from the IOC. The Installation XO.

"LT Parker, I understand you issued some ammunition last night to Black Ops."

"Sir I can neither confirm nor deny. This is classified."

There was silence for a minute. "Oh. Those guys. Never mind, Lt. Better off not talking about them at all."

Luckily that was the only issue she had to make like that. All other Spec Ops issues were for normal training.

Two weeks later Liz had a meeting with the new Spec Ops ASP leadership. 2 Lts and 4 Sergeants. The sergeants were all veterans; and two were Lts were veterans but new to Ammo.

"I will be evaluating the 89Bs for knowledge and everyone else for attitude and ability to figure it out and make the proper judgment calls. Let's go to the ASP."

Liz had just about finished all the necessary work on the Division Ordnance Company; its new commander was already on post; he had had some experience with another ordnance company and looked good. So now she just had to evaluate the Spec Ops crew.

One week later she called up the Installation Acting Commander.

"Ready for more good news?"

"Always, Lt Parker."

"The Spec Ops guys will be OK. The 89Bs are sufficiently knowledgeable and have a good attitude, and the others have the right attitude and are smart enough to learn."

"Very good, Lt Parker."

Two months after starting it, Liz left the Ordnance Company much better then she found it. She headed back to Aviation. When she walked in the door of the Brigade HQ she stopped dead. On a table in the middle of the entrance way lay a mannequin made up with a BDU and positioned as if for burial. It was in pieces as if ripped apart and taped together. On it was a sign.

I pissed off 'Doberman Parker'

She shook her head. Well now she knew what her call sign was going to be. Before she left they had been trying to figure hers out.

The Brigade Commander was waiting for her.

"From all sources you did a real good job cleaning up someone else's mess. Glad to have you back."

"Thank you sir. I just want to get back to flying."

And she started again the very next day.

She was a little rusty and Griffith and Winston let her ease back in; Dugan had gotten a lot of flight time in those two months and it showed. It was now summer and getting hot. She had been gone from the end of March to the end of May. To make things more interesting, the word had come down that the Aviation Brigade would be deploying to Afghanistan in December. Liz was just glad she would have at least 5 months to catch up with her training. She had gotten two commendations for her TDY, but she hoped that was the end of it for a long time.

She noticed that the people at Aviation treated her differently now; some with wariness but more importantly with real respect. 'I guess acting like a Bitch on PMS and steroids impressed them' was her gloomy thought.

Liz had gone over what she had done and while it very much bothered her how she had done it, what she had done was spot on as far as she was concerned. Being the Bad Ass was very much against her nature; but that is all she could draw from when she had to go hard core. Looking back on it, it was as if her body had been hijacked and she had been an observer. Liz realized that that part was indeed inside her; and would always be there. She just hoped to never have to need it again.

Getting back into flying was absolutely the best medicine and therapy for Liz. Whirling her Apache through the air, firing at targets, that was real living.

The AH-64D Apache Longbow was a very high tech weapon system. The 30MM chain gun in the nose; the two pods of 2.75" rockets; the 8 Hellfire Anti-Tank missiles; and if needed 4 Stingers or two Sidewidners on the tips of the stubby wings gave the Apache a Lot of Bite. The pods for the hellfires and 2.75" can be changed out to have more of either- 4 pods of 2.75" or 16 hellfires (4 to a pod). It was designed primarily as an Anti Tank platform to be used in Europe if the Warsaw pact had ever attacked. The joke of it was that it was only fully deployed right at the very end of the Cold War, pretty much after there was any real threat of it happening. At

It's real baptism of fire in a serious way had come during Desert Storm; and it showed itself to be extremely effective. Now like any other Helicopter it was much more vulnerable to ground fire than any fixed wing aircraft; and that was something that had been forgotten during some of the opening battles of the Iraq war. A flak trap had been set up that caused damage to 31 of 34 Apache's used in one attack. Only 1 had been shot down and a few heavily damaged, which was something that had been lost in the fallout of that particular attack. The Apache was armored and had redundant systems to compensate for battle damage, so it could take more hits than most choppers and still fly. But you had to use common sense; if you got cocky and over confident, the Gods of War would make you pay.

As the months counted down before the deployment to Afghanistan, Liz continued to improve in all areas of flying and fighting the Apache. She also got more experience in flying as part of the platoon, company and Battalion. Though Full Battalion flights were rare. In Afghanistan the duties of Apache's were escort and fire support. They would escort other choppers in assaults or supply missions; and suppress ground fire and give support to forces on the ground. In Afghanistan the most usual fire support from the air was from Apache's; the terrain and other factors limited the use of fixed wings. That and the increasing importance of preventing collateral damage and injuring and killing bystanders and noncombatants. The fighting was low intensity; the Taliban was weak and much of the actual fighting was being done by foreign imports brought in by Al Queeda. Those and the warlords that were endemic to Afghanistan. The tribal loyalty by far trumped anything else. One other fact that made the choppers more favored for support was that since they came in much lower and slower they were able to take more time identifying the targets; and the weapons used were much smaller than the minimum 500 lb bombs used by the fixed wings.

So the Apache's of the 1st Battalion, called "Expect no Mercy", worked as much as they could to prepare for Afghanistan. They would be going to Ft Carson in October for 30 days of training in the mountains there; which would be the best place since it was the most similar to the mountainous parts of Afghanistan.

Most of their training began to focus on how to pinpoint targets and take them out; without hitting those that they would be protecting. As always the lower and slower you were the easier that was; while making you a much easier target for the enemy. The big threat was someone getting close enough to hit you with a RPG. There were few anti air missiles available to the enemy. If they could get close enough, a 12.7MM MG could down an Apache if it hit the right areas. A 23MM could do it anywhere, but they were hard to transport so only camps and such would have them.

The flight to Ft Carson was practice for the Battalion in ferry flight. All four hard points on the wings were filled with fuel tanks and the Aircraft was completely unarmed. Around 1200 or so miles was the maximum range. That varied according to height flown, speed, climate. They had calculated this fairly carefully, and the speed would be 120 Knots at 7000 feet. It would be a long flight of almost 9 hours.

The only good thing about the flight is that they were allowed to take their personal items with them as long as they could fit in the cockpits and not get in the way. Ted snarked that Liz had an unfair advantage due to her size; Lix snarked back that she, being a modern female, had more needs than a Neanderthal.

The first part of the trip was interesting, flying over Missouri and the Ozarks; then they got to Kansas and the terrain became very boring. Liz and Ted traded off every hour. Liz had let Ted make the takeoff; she would land.

They talked to each other to keep themselves awake; and to the other choppers; they were flying in a fairly loose formation about 1 KM apart. This was fairly boring; but that was not all that bad. It was good training in that it forced you to work at being alert. The weather was clear; that had been the rule before even starting out. They had a weather window of about 10 days just in case. They had gone out on day 4.

"OK, people, lets tighten it up. We will be in visual of Ft Carson in 15 Mikes. Let's not let them think a bunch of Reserves are flying these things."

The was the Battalion XO, Major Collins. He was senior flight officer of the 1st Battalion. The Battalion commander was just too busy most of the time to fly; reality of the modern military.

So they tightened up into boxes of 4, side by side, in 3 groups as the entire battalion tried to look STRAC. They did look good as they landed at the Air Field there.

They would be in Temp Quarters while at Carson; Liz was lucky in that she got a room all too herself. After getting something to eat she took a shower and crashed.

The very next day the crews, who had flown up the day before, got to work on the ships, readying them for the vigorous training to come. For Liz, she was not all that far from her former home. Nancy had settled in well in Columbus and was seeing someone; she tweaked Liz in that she might end up with someone faster that Liz did. Liz found that she did miss the mountains; and was not unhappy to spend some time in them.

The training started with familiarization in high altitude flying; which is critical for helicopters. The altitude maximum for the Apache was 21,000 feet; but that was under special circumstances. Realistically under normal conditions it was around 15,000. Which was something to think about as many mountains in Afghanistan were higher than that. Helicopters, due to the need of their rotors to generate lift, are very vulnerable to sudden changes of winds and conditions at higher altitudes where the air is much thinner. Much of the fighting surrounds mountains and their passes.

Liz could tell the difference immediately as they started to fly higher; most of the time they had flown around 7-8000 feet while at Campbell. Now they were flying at around 10,000+. The chopper was much more skittish, winds more greatly affected it, response to control moves were often sluggish. More power was needed to maintain level flight; and thus each mission would be shorter due to greater consumption of fuel. That was why they were also starting to practice flying with an external fuel tank in place of one or two of the rocket pods.

One thing that had been concentrated on was that for the first time the Longbow model was going to Afghanistan. Previously only A models were sent; as it was thought the Longbow was not needed. The British had believed that that idea was NOT correct. But the US commanders often preferred that the extra fuel allowed by not having the radar on the bird was better overall. The UK versions had the better engine and that was the biggest reason they chose to keep the radar on. The 1st Battalion was going with their own birds and the Longbow; while there they would make the decision on whether to take it off.

So they were going to train in Colorado both using and not using the Longbow. They would then get an idea of the differences in capabilities. What they probably would end up doing is having one company take off the radar while the other two keep it. Then after a while evaluate. Liz had looked at the numbers as regards estimates the difference in having vs not having the Radar. It came to about 10-15% more combat time. To Liz it seemed to be more important to have the capability. She had ended up talking to Griffith and Winston about that; they had both had a lot more time in the Apache and in combat.

"Afghanistan is a totally different world then Iraq. The needs are much different. In Iraq I wanted the Longbow. In Afghanistan maybe not. I have talked to some guys that flew Apache A models there. And who upgraded to Longbow. They are kind of split on it as well." Griffith was clearly on the fence.

"More combat time, more fuel is going to be critical in that terrain. A lighter bird makes a difference. I do not know but I am kind of leaning towards not having it." Winston was tilting to not having it.

"Reading what the Brits say, it looks to me the superior reach and radar vision the Longbow gives is very important. Especially firing the Hellfire. I kind of lean towards having it. We gain only 10-15% more time in the air without it. Is that enough to compensate for being partially blind?" Liz made her stand clear.

"Well, the Brigade is taking our birds and they have Longbow. So we can take them off if we want to. Makes sense to me; that way we can be flexible." Said Griffith.

"Maybe have one or two companies take it off; the others keep it on. That way we have flexibility each way." Liz pointed out.

That debate was to continue all the way too Deployment and beyond.

Liz gradually got the hang of flying in the mountains; and by the end of October they had all acclimated well. The flight back to Ft Campbell was just as uneventful as the flight out which everyone was grateful for. Upon landing the Apache's were immediately serviced then the weeks long preparations for deployment began. Their rotors would be taken off and the entire bodies carefully packed so as to be shipped in the C-17's. Form then until they deployed on 15 December, they would do very little flying.

The Brigade was given a week's leave at Thanksgiving to visit family. Liz went to Georgia first since the girls had decided to stay there for thanksgiving; then she would spend the rest of the time with her mother in Columbus. She was looking forward to meeting the man her mother had been seeing for the last six months.

Liz got to Georgia on the Monday; and had a ball with the girls in their apartment. Being back with them just felt right. She also got to meet their boyfriends; which was a kick.

That first night, girls only, they sat around just relaxing.

Isabelle fixed Liz with a glare.

"OK, time for you to dish on what happened at Campbell as regards you becoming your call sign Doberman."

The other girls goggled at that, and then began laughing.

"Doberman?" Squeaked Maria.

"Come on" came from Tess.

Liz looked at Isabelle. "How did you find that out?"

Isabelle rolled her eyes then pulled out a stack of papers.

"These are printouts from a couple of sites I found. They are forums where military people tend to talk to each other. I happened on them a while ago and go back now and then to get a feel at what is going on. One is from Spec Ops and the other is from a site called 'Rotorheads anonymous'."

Liz quickly read them and groaned.

"OK. These are really exaggerated. I did not have those LTs hauled out in handcuffs. I did not work them 24/7 for a month straight. Never more than 14 hours a day and only 11 straight once."

The girls looked at her. "What did you do?" came from Maria.

"Went in with a serious attitude and made them all work my way. Leaned on them hard for the first couple of weeks then backed off as they got better. Nowhere near what it is portrayed."

The girls nodded. Then Isabelle pulled one more sheet out. "What about this?" Liz read it then got very quiet. Maria plucked it out of her hands and she and Tess read it. They both then looked at her with big eyes.

"I heard those Iraqi's she killed were begging for mercy at the end."

"I talked to a guy that was there. He said she ordered them to let some wounded ones lay there and scream to intimidate the others. Then offed them herself when she wanted some peace and quiet."

Liz took a deep breath. "I did let them scream; that scared the other ones and bought us more time. I did not kill them for peace and quiet, well not that kind. I killed them so that we could listen for any more coming. Some of them were praying to Allah."

The girls were very quiet then Tess, Maria Isabelle hugged her tightly. Liz then started to cry.

"I think sometimes that I should somehow feel guilty for doing that; but I really believe I did what I had to do."

They spent the rest of the night cuddling and it was not mentioned again.

It was very relaxing as well with her mother in the house she was renting; Ed was the man she was seeing and Liz liked him. Her mom seemed happy.

When she got back to Campbell they were working on getting ready to deploy. On Dec 17, 2007 they landed at Bagram Airfield.

Liz looked around. It was cold, windy and dusty. Not a very good introduction. The Aviation brigade got fairly decent quarters; wooden buildings not tents. They had heating that was fairly good and air conditioning units that they were told could keep the temps below 90 in the summer. They were also told that was a lot better than it had been up to a year ago. Liz was placed in one of the bigger buildings with all the other female officers of the 101st Aviation brigade. There were 31 of them. From WO's to a Major. Liz noted that there were only 6 of them senior to her; the Major, 3 captains and 2 LTs with more time in grade. None of them were pilots. There were no other female pilots or copilots in the 1st Battalion; there were 11 in the other battalions. After they got themselves sorted out the major gathered them together.

"OK. First things first. No one goes anywhere alone – you go with another woman or a man you trust in your own unit. I would much rather you women stick together. This is something the brass tries to hide but there have been more than a handful of sexual assaults here at Bagram. Anyone who has been in Iraq is familiar with that situation."

Liz sat there quietly. One of the good things about her time in Iraq was that they had been pretty safe as regards things like that. She knew that this place would be different; she had no intention of being a statistic. She carried a small knife, pepper spray and would not go anywhere without her sidearm.

"The worst things first. Now remember the culture of this country and region. Take no chances. You will not leave the airbase unless specifically authorized. Stay in the secured areas; and watch out every minute. You will be given a briefing tomorrow morning that will be nowhere near as blunt. Just nod your heads and play along with the PR bullshit."

They then headed in a body to try out the mess hall. It turned out to be not bad. Liz made it a point to look around for women that she felt comfortable with. It turned out that a couple others had the same idea.

"OK. Who do we look to pair up with?

"Well someone like us. We are not exactly party animals are we?"

"The building is set up 4 to a room; there are 3 of us. Who should we look at?"

"Pilots for one. No grunts or desk jockies."

"OK. While eating let us look around."

Liz felt a little lonely. The only female pilot in the first Battalion, she had not had much to do with the rest of them.

"What about her?"

"Doberman Parker?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know. I heard she can be a real bitch."

"Well look what she got tossed into. I would have been a bitch as well."

"Well you are a bitch anyway."

"So what do you think."

"From what I heard she is ok. No problems with anyone. Her crew chief is an old time grunt and likes her. She takes care of her crew."

"That is good. She has also been to Iraq so she knows the score that way."

"Yeah. No one doubts she will rip you up if she has to. I heard what she did in that convoy fight."

"You know, from a very practical point of view it would be a good idea to get an Apache pilot on our side as a friend."

"That is true. OK let's do it."

Liz was looking for an empty table when three officers at another table waved to her. Curious she headed towards them. They were all warrants. A redhead, a blond and a brunette.

"Lt Parker, grab a seat."

"Thanks guys. You drive blackhawks?"

"Yeah 5th battalion. Eagle Assault."

"Sometimes the nicknames…"

"Yeah. We know. So wanna join us?"

"Sure. I was feeling lonely. I was real lucky my time in Iraq; I had three best buds with me."

"That helps. We feel the same way; this is still Neanderthal Central."

"Tell me about it. I am pretty lucky; no real problems in my battalion and in my platoon and company it's great. Got a top crew chief as well."

Jesse was the Redhead; Ellen was the Blonde; Vicki was the Brunette. Ellen was no classic blonde.

"Liz, you were in Iraq. What do you think of what the Major said."

Liz got very serious; the others saw this and leaned forward.

"Towards the end of my tour in Iraq, you could start to see things happening. Since then it's gotten worse. There are a lot of reasons but frankly why does not matter to us. We have to protect ourselves. I carry a knife in my boot and have my 9mm with me at all times; with a round in the chamber. I also have a small can of pepper spray where I can get it fast. Like the Major said, go no place alone no matter what."

Vicki shook her head. "Round in the chamber; that is dangerous!"

Liz shook her head decisively. "The safety is on; you cannot fire it without that off. And the hammer is down. You would have to cock it and take the safety off. You can do that with one hand. Think about it: you might only have one hand free for a moment. That is why I also have the knife and the pepper spray. You can get them at the PX even here."

The women mulled this. Ellen sighed. "I hate it but I think you are right. Did not think about the fact to chamber a round you have to use your other hand."

Liz nodded. "I know of some women who carry a small revolver in their belt; less obvious and you do not have to worry about a safety. And you can keep the hammer over an empty cylinder. Think about it. We have to watch over ourselves; we should not count on anyone else doing it."

Vicki looked at her. "I think having you around will make us all feel a lot safer."

Jesse grinned. "And considering things, having an Apache driver in our corner could be important."

Liz grinned. "Never know." She had a feeling they would be good friends.

Isabelle squealed. "Max!"

Max Evans grinned as he hugged his younger sister. They had not seen each other in over a year.

"Izzy!"

She swatted him. "Don't call me that."

"I am your older brother so guess what: live with it!"

"Now children." Came from the smiling Diane Evans, with her husband right beside her snickering. Glad to see that some things do not change.

Max had decided bothering his younger sister was fun when he had visited when Isabelle was in junior high and already starting her reign as Queen of all she Surveyed. Needless to say she had been an irresistible target. Max was almost 15 years older than Isabelle. He had been an accident when Diane and Phillip were freshmen at college. Diane had been determined that no more accidents would happen and had gotten her tubes tied. Unfortunately when the couple had graduated and wanted more children, it was found that the operation to untie them was not as simple as it should have been. Damage was done that seemed to preclude more children. So Isabelle had come along as a complete surprise.

"So, Max, just visiting?"

"Got time off for Christmas; head back after New Years."

"Where have you been?"

"Afghanistan."

"WHAT!" came from all three of the other Evans.

"Been there for a couple of months. Got bored in Kuwait and took a job with another contractor in Afghanistan. Maintenance on the flight line at Bagram Airfield."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because you would have worried. It's pretty safe there; especially where I work. Security is very heavy on the flight line."

The three other Evans sighed but realized arguing about it would not accomplish anything. Max Evans had joined the Marines right out of High School; much to his parents displeasure. They wanted him to go to college. He didn't. He had stayed in and finished his twenty years only a few years earlier. He had been in Marine Aviation as a ground crew tech and other areas. He had then gotten a job with a contractor that worked for the DOD overseas. Footloose and fancy free, his parents and sister had just about given up hope he would settle down.

"So Isabelle, I hear you are thinking of getting hitched? Who is the unlucky guy?"

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Alex is very aware of how lucky he is."

"Got the poor guy whipped good I see."

That pretty much set the tone. The family was together and that is what mattered.

"Max, you can look up Liz if when you get back to Bagram. She just got there with the 101st Aviation Brigade. She flies an Apache."

Max remembered Izzy writing about her friend. A pint sized Xena from the way she had been described in the media. He had heard about her from friends still in the military. There had been some serious stories about that fight.

"From issuing bullets to shooting them. The Apache is one mean machine. Sounds like it is right up her alley."

"Liz is a good friend and if I hear from her that you have been anything other than nice I will make sure you regret it. Is THAT clear, GONZO?"

"Peace, Izzy. I doubt I will run into her but I will play nice if I do. Promise. Promise on the bodies of all of your dead Barbies."

"VERY FUNNY."

Liz soon found that flying in Afghanistan was much tougher than even in Colorado; the fine dust and such was not a friend to electronics. Grunt had a full time job keeping her Apache up and running. So far A Company had kept their Longbow; the other two had had it taken off in the first month. But the value of the Longbow had been shown on a couple of occasions so it seemed that A company would stay the way it was for at least the time being.

She found herself really liking her room mates; while probably they would not get as close as Maria, Tess and Isabelle they were making the time here better. Isabelle had written that her older brother was with the contractor that maintained the flight line at the Airfield. Liz had not seen him; but then she had been pretty busy getting acclimated to the climate and everything else.

Max was the supervisor of the crew that was responsible for the actual maintenance of the runways and lights; taxiways and helipads. He usually had spent most of his time at the end where the fixed wing aircraft were. Not much where the choppers worked. But with the new runway finished and lights done and such; there was not that much to do there unless something happened. There was virtually no chance of damage from enemy attack; and if there was it was almost always the aircraft and not the field. The helicopter area was being expanded as more and more choppers were used in the fighting and the movement of supplies and personnel. They had built some new hangers so that the choppers could be worked on under cover and better protected from the weather and the climate. Helicopters were more vulnerable to dust and such; and Afghanistan like most of the middle east specialized in that. So now he was also in charge of maintenance of those buildings as well. And that meant he spent more time down there.

Sergeant Gunt glared at his Apache. She was a fine machine; but this lousy place played havoc on keeping it running well. That damn dust especially got into everything and electronics and dust did not work well together; and dust and turbine engines were mortal enemies. Maintenance was up over 50% from normal; and would probably go higher. At least they had plenty of spare parts.

Max was checking out the new hangers for the choppers. They were metal and had filtration systems, but since the doors had to be open so much it was questionable just how much those systems were worth. He went in the far one and saw a crew working on an Apache. He admired that bird; had seen it in action while in Desert Storm. But it sure took a lot of work. He approached what had to be the Crew Chief; he was a senior sergeant and he looked pissed. Par for the course.

"Yo, Chief. Having fun keeping that delicate bird of flight happy?"

Gunt glared at the contractor.

"And what would you know about it?"

"Was a crew chief for Crashhawks during Desert storm while in the Corps. That was not much fun but everything I have ever heard says Apache's are a lot more work."

Gunt looked at him closely – was he for real or just spouting a line?

Max grinned. "Let me guess: the avionics hate the dust; the turbines are worse; and that damn chin gun is a nightmare."

Slowly Gunt nodded. Maybe this guy was genuine.

"I never understood why they did not put that gun in a turret; it would not have weighed that much more and it would have protected it from the dust and dirt a hell of a lot better."

"Our Huey's were about the same; a little more sheltered but not all that much. Pretty much found the lightest machine oil we could get and just washed it down constantly. Yeah that attracted more shit but the extra oil kept it running a little better."

Gunt looked thoughtful. He had heard some that had tried that. "Maybe."

Max walked closer and looked at the Apache. "Maybe throwing a tarp over it whenever you are not working on it or flying it would help. Anything that keeps as little dust colleting as you can."

"Problem with that is unless you drape it over everything including the rotors it's not much good. And that could damage the rotors. Not to mention a huge hassle getting it on and off."

Max looked at the roof. These hangers had been built a little stronger than he had thought. There were overhead cranes. Something was at the back of his mind. Something he had seen or heard about, What was it? Then he remembered.

"How about this: an aluminum frame that is a couple of feet bigger than the perimeter of the bird; clear plastic hanging down; attached to the crane, you lift it up to take the bird out and drop it down when it gets back. Clear lets the light in but keeps the dust out. You can put it a kind of doorway that you can walk in and out; you can do all the work on the machine except for engine replacement and the like. 90% of your regular maintenance can be done and the only time the bird is exposed to the elements is basically when its flying."

Gunt's eyes widened as he visualized it. He looked up at the roof of the hanger. There were a dozen or more cranes; which is about the number of choppers they could put in the hanger. IF that worked it would really help; keeping the dust out was job one. He looked at Max and held out his hand.

"Damn good idea. I will see if I can get this to someone who will try. Sergeant Gunt; but everyone calls me Grunt and I have quit fighting it."

"Max Evans. I am in charge of airfield facility maintenance for the contractor here. I know where we can get the plastic; there are piles of it just sitting in one of the warehouses for some project that got canceled. The aluminum pipe or polls – that would be easy to get; lots of it laying around. Would not take much time if we got a bunch of guys working on it."

"Sounds good. Now I gotta figure out how to get to someone with the clout to make the brass listen."

"Battalion Maintenance?"

"He is a gomer that is just putting in his time."

"Bummer. OK, how about starting with your Company commander or battalion commander?"

"Well, better talk to my pilot first."

Max was looking at the Apache; below the pilot's seat was a picture of a Doberman with over sized fangs.

"That is your pilot?"

"Yeah."

Wonder what the guy is like? If that is accurate probably a real meat eater. Most pilots had more balls than brains, in his experience. All snarl and no thought.

"Come on. Let's hit the head shed; most of the pilots are probably there right now."

Max followed him into the next building which was somewhat of an office building; neither fish nor fowl. Grunt headed down the hall and stuck his head in one office.

"LT Parker? Got someone here who has a good idea on how we can keep the dust off of our birds." He then went in motioning Max to follow.

There were several desks in there; right in front was one where a pretty big dude was sitting. Bet that was this 'Doberman', well he looks the part.

"Whats that Sarge?"

A very definitely NON Doberman voice that. He looked to the right and at a desk in the corner sat a very small and very pretty young woman. Whom he recognized from pictures Izzy had.

"YOU are Doberman?" Max could have sunk through the floor at that. The whole room burst into laughter and that made it worse. But she just rolled her eyes and smiled.

"When the Battalion comedians come up with a call sign you are stuck with it. Hi. Liz Parker."

Max managed to collect his wits from the several countries they had been scattered to and shook her hand; it was a firm shake for such a small woman.

"Max Evans. Isabelle is my sister."

Her eyes got HUGE. "You are Izzy's brother Max? All she ever said that he was a pain in her butt, wandering killer of her barbies when she was a kid. Did not realize how much older you were."

"15 years between us. Had fun one summer while I was around shooting her barbies with an airgun then hanging the survivors. Iz was NOT amused."

"So what are you doing here? Iz said you had gotten out of the corps. Marine Aviation as I recall?"

"Yeah, crew chief on crashhawks in Desert Storm. So I have an idea what the middle east does to choppers."

Grunt piped up. "His idea would take some work but I think it would really cut down on our maintenance time. It should protect the birds a lot better."

"Well let's hear it."

Max quickly explained his idea to a room of very interested pilots. They had only been flying for a month so far and the dust and crap had shown itself to be a huge problem from day one. Grunt pointed out the advantages of it. Liz listened carefully. When they were done she sat for a moment.

"We could also get heaters or blowers in the summer that would help cool off or heat up the air inside the bubble; that would help your crews wouldn't it?"

"A whole lot sir. With the doors open as much as they are; and the heating system having to work hard just to compensate when it really gets cold, it would make working on the small stuff a lot easier when your hands are not frozen. And from what guys who have been here before tell me, in the heat anything can make a big difference."

Liz nodded slowly. Then stood up. "OK, let's scare up Griffith and then we go to the Battalion commander."

She led them out of that office and down the hall.

Captain Griffith was just as enthusiastic and they then went in search of the Battalion commander. He signed off quickly and the increasingly larger group headed for HQ and where the Brigade Maintenance office was.

The Brigade Maintenance officer thought about it after the proposal was made. Clean rooms. That is what they were looking at. If the material was available, it made so much sense. Every other unit that had operated here told the same story; the dust and crap was the biggest enemy; not the mountains and weather or the Taliban. He looked at them.

"I like it. I think the idea can be tweaked a little but it makes a lot of sense. Anything that can appreciably cut down on dust getting into the systems has to be looked at. Let's get this written up and brainstorm it. I want all battalion maintenance personnel on this; and we need to go to the Brigade Commander." He looked at the Battalion Commander.

"We need a formal proposal. Get on it; the Brigade Maintenance XO will work with you."

"Yes sir."

An hour later Max, Grunt, Parker, the Battalion Commander and several other maintenance officers were in a conference room working out the proposal. One of the maintenance officers was talking.

"We have the cranes; but moving those bubbles around will be a hassle; we need to measure the height that the cranes can lift something; I am not sure we can get full clearance at the top lift point."

"Then we can roll up the front; that should mean we would not have to lift it as high."

Liz had been doodling, thinking about the whole thing.

"Why do we need to keep lifting and moving the bubble?"

The rest of the room looked at her. She got up and went to the black board where the proposal had been drawn up.

She quickly drew a diagram of the hanger. Then put squares along each wall. She pointed at them.

"Make the frames go from floor to a level that clears the rotors. Not hang from the cranes. Drape the plastic over it. At the front-here- (she pointed) have it fixed so that it can be lifted or rolled up and down. We have those electric carts now to move the Apache's or any of the choppers. We wheel them in and out of the bubbles. That way we can put them side by side along both sides of the hanger. We can service and protect more choppers that way. We just need a center isle big enough to move them in and out. We can still move the entire frame plus the plastic with the cranes if need be."

The Brigade Maintenance XO was nodding.

"That is simpler. And you are correct, LT Parker. We can put more ships in and work on more of them that way."

One other maintenance officer agreed. "That would also allow us to better install blowers and heaters for the bubbles if we do not have to keep moving them around."

The XO looked around. "Any other suggestions?" There were none. "Then let's get this written up in a form that we can present to the Brigade Commander."

IT took several hours more, and Max took Grunt and a couple others out to show what was available, before they got it all put together. They were to present it to the Brigade Commander the next day.

The Apache Company had not had much to do at the moment; things were usually fairly quiet in the depths of December and January and February since not even the Taliban liked to do much in the winter. Liz had not yet had to fire a shot in anger; the only firing was practice and training. She was getting the hang of the different conditions in Afghanistan.

The Crew, as she called her room mates, made life bearable. They were a more lively bunch then her other friends; which in the conditions they were in made a difference. They stayed in a group as much as possible; and true to what the Major and Liz had said none of them ever went out alone at any time unescorted. There had already been a couple of incidents, not bad ones thankfully, that had reinforced the caution.

Max had gone out and quietly gathered all the material for the bubbles he could get his hands on. His years as a supply guy had taught him how to get things done without paperwork and without people higher up noticing. The plastic had been moved to the flight area; and the aluminum polls that would be used for frames had been collected and was a gathering pile as well. Looking over it he figured they had enough for about 20 or so bubbles already. Maybe more. He thought that there was enough plastic for 40 or 50.

He had emailed Izzy that he had met her friend. He asked her if she had told Izzy her call sign.

Isabelle read the latest email from her brother. She looked at Maria and Tess who were waiting on the latest word from Liz; who was trying to keep in touch but was busy as all get out.

"Did any of you know what Liz's call sign is?"

They both shook their heads.

"Doberman."

The room rocked with laughter.

Liz had helped right up the proposal; and had started to get to know Max Evans. He was definitely tall, dark and handsome. The fact that he was 15 years older than she was did not put her off; she found very few men her age mature enough to bother with. Being around pilots did not help; many of them had not grown up and there were signs many never would.

Max still had a fair amount of little boy about him; but anyone who had done 20 years in the Marines was a lot more mature then anyone she saw much of on a daily basis. At least anyone that could be considered eligible. Which for Liz in the current situation was a very small number. Fellow pilots were not in the mix due to maturity; dating anyone not an officer had all sorts of other problems. Of non-flying officers the pickings were kind of slim. She really had not considered civilians. Not that there were many around. But it was probably a moot point anyway; as busy as she was likely to be finding time to really date anyone would be a serious challenge; and it was time that was almost certainly better spent in just relaxing and resting.

Max meanwhile was seriously thinking about Liz Parker. Cute as a button with a great smile; what was there not to like? He also liked women who had some iron in the spine and it was clear Liz had that in spades. He had contacted one of his buds in Spec Ops on a rumor he had heard; and his bud had gotten back to him with some interesting stuff. Apparently Liz had kicked ass and taken names while rebuilding an ordnance company at Ft Campbell; and that had included a section of Spec Ops types. Which was how she got the Doberman call sign. He pondered asking Izzy for information; then decided not to. It might be more fun finding out himself.

Liz laughed as she read her email from Iz. Apparently Max had emailed her about meeting Liz. She decided that turnabout was fair play.

'Iz. Tell me more about your brother. I get the feeling that there is a lot more than appears on the surface.'

Isabelle read Liz's email and looked at the other two.

"Liz is asking for details on Max. I think she might just be interested."

Maria nodded vigorously. "Whatever it takes. We got to get Liz at least looking at guys. She might as well be a nun right now."

Tess agreed. "She needs to at least get into the game; she is almost 25 and I am willing to bet has never done more than kiss a guy. And here we are probably all going to get married as soon as we graduate."

Isabelle looked surprised. "You really think Liz is a virgin?"

Maria sighed. "She is. She kind of let it slip one day; I don't think she realized I heard. I am kind of sure she is a little embarrassed about it."

Tess shook her head. "That does not surprise me. BUT look at it from her side: Podunk town and school in Wyoming, no one there and from what she said she worked just about all the time she was not in school. No serious boyfriend there. Then she gets into boot camp and AIT – not exactly a whole lot of opportunity there unless you are in for a quickie one night stand and that is so not her. Then she gets to Stewart right on 9/11. Then Iraq; and we can all agree since we were there that the chances of anything good happening in the romance area was slim at best; and Liz once again was busier than hell. Gets back from Iraq and has to work on training her replacement. Then OCS and Flight School. Why start something there when no one knows where you will be? Then Ft Campbell and all the fun she had there before deploying, not to mention being a newbie Apache pilot. It all makes sense when you bother to think about it."

The other two slowly nodded. Maria sighed and looked at Isabelle. "Find out if he is really interested. If he is then let's see what we can do to help get things started. But let him know that if he breaks her heart he is a man who will beg for death before we are done with him."

Interestingly enough someone else had noticed potential sparks. Captain Griffith. Who then talked to Ed Winston.

"I think Max has eyes for Liz."

"Well anyone that has eyes should have eyes for Liz."

"Of course but unless my vision is fading I think there just might be some interest on her part."

"Now that is a change. She has not given ANYONE the time of day since she arrived at Campbell."

"Can you blame her? It's a tough spot she is in; the only female Apache Pilot on base. She knows damn well that people are watching her waiting for her to screw up. She was pretty high profile before she ever arrived. You can see that; she is very careful about how she goes about in public. And let's face it; would you want your kid sister dating any of the pilots here?"

Ed Winston, who DID have a younger sister, scowled. Most of the pilots were good pilots but the ones not already attached were acting like pilots have mostly acted since the days of Biplanes. Which meant no good older brother wanted any of THEM anywhere near his younger sister. Which was the way which he had started to think of Liz. He looked at Griffith.

"Not a chance in hell."

"And who does that leave? Enlisted are out for various reasons she is all too well aware of. Non flying officers; well what is there? I mean I am not a girl but there is slim pickens there for sure. Everyone that is not already attached is probably unattached for a good reason. And she is 25 and unless I have read all the signs real wrong, has never had a serious relationship. Max Evans is older and certainly more mature than most of what she runs into every day; and being a civilian has none of the other handicaps a fellow member of the military has. You put it all together and maybe it's not a surprise that she might be thinking that way."

Ed Griffith still had a scowl. "He better not hurt her or he is dead meat."

"He hurts her and there will be a line of guys and some women who will beat the living shit out of him."

Ellen looked at Vicki and Jesse. "Is it my imagination or is Liz looking like a girl thinking of a guy now and then?"

Jesse thought about it. "Maybe. I mean we do not know her that well yet."

Vicki slowly nodded. "It's possible. The question would be who?"

Ellen pondered that. "From what Liz has said she is NOT interested in dating a pilot."

The other two snorted. "No. Really."

Ellen continued. "Non flying types?"

They considered that. "Maybe. But who?"

Jess was thinking hard. "That guy that came up with the idea of plastic bubbles for the choppers? Max Evans? He has been around a fair bit working on that."

The other two pondered. "That to me might be a real thought" said Vicki. Ellen nodded. "Methinks we might have to observe this situation."

The bubble idea had been approved by the brigade commander and all available personnel had been roped in to help out. It took only a week to get most of it done. Each of the hangers had a dozen on each side; 24 to a hanger for both the Apache and the Blackhawks. The Chinooks were much bigger and they could only get 12 to a hanger. But the advantages were immediately seen and felt. The heaters that had been scrounged by Max and company were hooked to the rear of each bubble and blew air in; there had been a kind of door put together at the side for personnel to slip in and out. In cold weather it made a big difference for the mechanics and techs; it was almost warm inside. That kind of work got down a lot faster. Within two weeks of operations beginning after the birds being in the bubbles, available rates started going up and failure rates started going down. Time spent on maintenance decreased noticeably, and there were signs that usage of spare parts and the need for other repairs were going down. The early word was of the good.

It was the end of February before Liz got involved in her first combat situation; well one in which she had to fire anyway.

They were escorting 3 Chinooks who were bringing in supplies for a FOB. Company A was flying cover; 1st platoon down low for close cover while 2nd platoon flew high cover. Liz and her Wingman, Jake, was on the right while Winston and his were on the left. Things looked fine until the Chinooks took off after delivery. This was usually the time someone tried to make trouble; it took time to get close enough to shoot at them and they could not just wait all day long on the hope a chopper would show up.

Jake reported movement not far from the FOB and moved in; Liz covering. Ted, as the primary gunner, was sighting down there with the 2.75's ready. Liz had the 30MM ready and was watching closely.

Jake hosed the area with 2.75 HE and chewed it up. Liz was watching to his right and Ted to his left. Liz saw someone or something moving farther and brought the 30MM to lay on it. "something on the right, using the 30" She could see some firing and let go with the 30MM right at them. The 30MM HE exploded throwing rocks and dust into the air. She fired 10 rds and stopped and watched. Nothing moved.

"Doberman, area clear."

"10-4, Snake. Let's pull out – the others are clear."

"10-4."

And that was how she fired her first shots in anger from her Apache.

Liz did not dwell on the likelihood that she had killed someone; it was war and they were shooting at her wingman and that was the way it was.

As the weather warmed up they got busier. The bubble had really helped their operational rates climb. Liz and the others in Company A were going to keep their Longbow Radar; Liz liked it because it could keep track of lots of things at the same time.

3 weeks after the bubbles went up, Max stopped by her office.

"What you doing for dinner tonight?"

She had looked at him then smiled. "Eating with you I guess."

Max had decided to try and get to know her better and figured to start out small. They had a good time talking – the food was OK but that really did not matter. And so a couple of times a week he found time to take her to dinner or sometimes lunch. Liz did not have a Lot of down time; never ending paperwork and she was flying almost every day. But what she did have she started to spend with him.

The Crew observed this and approved. So did most of the others that noticed. Ted Dugan made a point of talking to Max the day after they were spotted eating dinner together.

"Hurt her and they will NEVER find your body." He made it short and to the point. As a matter of fact several people made it a point to give him warnings.

A week after firing her first shots Liz got in early one morning to find several of the pilots and copilots listening to Griffith.

"So they strapped themselves to the wings and she flew them in and they got to the soldier and stabilized him and stuck with him until the ground pounders got there."

Liz looked at Winston. "What happened?'

"Brit Apache driver strapped four ground pounders to her wings and flew them into rescue a trapped wounded soldier."

Liz goggled. "Wow. That must have been some ride."

"Yeah. How much you want to bet a directive will come down- NO ONE WILL BE STRAPPED TO THE WINGS OF AN APACHE UNDER ANY CONDITIONS."

Liz giggled. "No bet."

That was a good thing as two days later that directive did come down from command.

One week later a major exercise involving Spec Ops brewed up.

Winston was giving the briefing.

"6 Hawks from 5 battalion will fly them in; they will hit the target and we will hover and wait to take them out. The Air Force will hit the area around the target first. Then 1st Platoon will go in as low cover while 2nd platoon will go as high cover. They THINK there may be some Taliban higher-ups there. So they want to identify who they hit. Which is why the target is not going to get plastered. Also there may be civilians there. So DO NOT just shoot if you see movement. Identify first. 4 Hawks will bring in the Strike Force; two others as Backups. Let's get down to details."

Liz was nervous; this was her first real serious combat mission. So far in three months she had not done a lot of shooting. But as the weather got warmer the Taliban and company started to get a lot more active. So naturally their side got more active as well.

The Crew was flying three of the 4 Hawks going in; that made it a little more personal to Liz. It was almost half an hour flying time to the target; they would have only about an hour to go before they had to return. Griffith was not happy that command had nixed replacing two pods with external tanks; but he had been able to get them to go along with one. One of the Hellfire pods were sacrificed. That would give them an extra 45 minutes there. So they could wait 1hr 45 minutes after arriving before they had to leave.

A company was flanking the Blackhawks as they headed out; this was also the first pre-dawn mission Liz had been on. Night missions were rare; mostly high priority Spec Ops operations. Fact was that it was hard to give much support at night; infrared had limited use and the night goggles were not exactly as good as daytime. Add to the fact that the warming weather made finding anyone with infrared tougher; warm rocks tended to hide people pretty well.

They took off exactly 40 minutes before dawn; it was near a pass, they would be operating at around 10,000 feet. The idea was to get there just before dawn; the Spec Ops got in and found what they needed; then there would be enough light for better support and cover fire as they were pulled out; which was usually when there were problems.

"Spectre Lead, this is Eagle Assault Lead. 5 minutes."

"10-4."

"Scooter (Winston) take position"

"10-4"

"Doberman right."

"10-4"

Liz and her wingman, Jake, went right while Winston and Ken went left. Both they could all see the smoke from the Air Force doing their thing. The 4 Blackhawks went in fast and unloaded the Special Forces. They poured into the small village, moving fast. They did not appear to be taking fire. After a few minutes.

"OK People let's take them up. So far nothing for us."

1st Platoon then increased altitude from about 500 feet above the ground to where the rest of A company was; about 2000 feet up. Which had them at about 11,000 feet. Liz concentrated on her controls and flying as economically as she could; milking their time on target.

Liz kept watching the clock; the timer showing how much fuel time was left. They were down to less than an hour and a half. The Spec Forces had been on the ground for almost 45 minutes. You always had to figure you would use more than you thought; the safe margin for error was never less than 10% and 20% was much better. So really they needed to leave in 30 minutes.

With 10 minutes to go the word came.

"Scooter, get down there; Eagle Assault is moving in for pickup. We will come down to angels 10." (1000 feet above ground)

"10-4."

"OK, guys, move in as before."

The Apache's would go in first to draw any fire away from the more vulnerable Blackhawks.

They went down from 2000 feet to 500 in less than a minute. Swooping then hovering; once more Liz and Jake to the Right and Winston and Ken to the left. Liz spoke to Dugan.

"I will look right and you left; I will take the gun."

"10-4"

Liz kept the Apache hovering; trying not to think about the state of their fuel supply. It was going to get a little close as it was.

She watched as all four choppers went down and landed; then two by two the Spec Ops began to appear. One Chopper took off, then two. So far no sign of fire. Third one took off. And they waited.

"Spectre's give me bingo status" (how much flying time left)

They sounded off by platoon. Liz was a little surprised to see that she had the most left by almost 10 minutes.

One by one the Apache's began to leave as they reached 40 minutes flying time left. Liz stayed where she was when Jake had to go; Soon only she and Winston were left. Finally they saw someone moving towards the Blackhawk; but they were going slow, clearly wounded, one carrying another while two others covered them. She saw them firing down at the village.

"Doberman, I am close to Bingo."

"Go Scooter."

Liz saw some figures behind the ones heading for the Blackhawk. So did Ted. "Rockets?"

Liz looked hard. "10-4 but just a couple."

2 2.75" flechette rounds shredded the shrouded figures. Then they were at the Blackhawk and getting in.

"Doberman, this is Eagle Lead, taking fire."

Wherever it was Liz could not see it nor could Ted so she got lower and moved in. Then they could see some firing at the Blackhawk as it began to take off. Without hesitation Liz used her 30 and hosed the immediate area; smoke and rocks flew.

"Doberman we are clear and OK; thanks for the cover."

"10-4 Eagle Lead."

Liz looked at her gauge; this was going to get real close. She took her time going up and heading out; every gallon might be needed.

She saw the Two extra Hawks waiting to fly with the last one. They had a better range. She moved with them, still escorting them though that really was a formality once they were this high. She was doing the math in her head; the readout had her making it back with 5 minutes to spare. It would be close.

"Doberman, what is your bingo status."

"Eagle Lead, it's going to be close but I think we are OK."

Liz had stayed on her auxiliary fuel tank as long as she had dared; you could not run it dry or the engines could stall before you switched over. She had gotten pretty good at that; one of the reasons she had more range than the others. That and she had what she privately felt was the best crew and crew chief in the Brigade. She concentrated on flying as economically as possible on the way back. The fuel warning light came on with its buzzer at 15 minutes and she shut it off. 10 minutes to landing; she was beginning to relax a little.

"Doberman you are cleared for landing first."

"10-4"

Liz headed right to the spot and just as she set it down the right engine began to sputter. And as she began to shut it down the left engine sputtered and then they both were quiet, the rotor still spinning by momentum. Liz sighed. That was a little closer than it should have been. That gage and everything else had been a little optimistic. She figured she still had at least 2 minutes left. Then Ted said the first thing since they had left the area. "Liz, it's a good thing you are so small. I think that extra 100 lbs was the difference." Liz had to grin. "Maybe. So no more short jokes?" "Promise-no more."

Then she was out of the ship and her crew chief was there.

"I heard them cut out. Gonna have to check the pumps and everything now."

"Sorry Grunt."

"That's ok. Comes with the territory. But maybe next time you add a little string to your rope?"

"Will try."

Liz took a deep breath and then followed Ted towards operations for the mission debrief.

Winston looked at Liz as she came in.

"Liz, that was cutting it too close."

"Sir, I thought I had at least two more minutes."

That got a laugh from the whole room.

Finishing the debrief, Winston was more serious.

"That came too close. Without Liz being able to hang there as long as she did, we might have lost that last Hawk and everyone in it. I am going to make it a point to demand we have two externals for anything that takes that long from now on. Or if not we are going to have to cut things sooner than that. Several of us landed on fumes and Liz did not even have that."

The Battalion commander later on echoed that up the latter.

The next day Liz was in her office when a Spec Forces captain stuck his head in her door.

"Lt Parker?"

Liz looked up. "Yes."

He advanced with his hand out and Liz stood up and took it.

"LT, it was me and a couple of my men with a wounded man that was in that last chopper. No way we get out if you had not stayed to cover us. You really ran the string out and we appreciate it."

"Captain, that is what we are here for. I promise you we will not leave you guys hanging out to dry."

"Lt, from most I would just take those as words, but you already backed it up. You got friends in Spec Ops, I am here to tell you."

The Crew appreciated Liz staying as well, even if none of them were flying the last chopper. Jesse spoke for them all.

"5 Battalion knows you now Liz. We know you will be there for us; Eagle Assault will remember."

Winston and Griffith were talking that night after the mission.

"Liz really cut it close; though she did claim she thought she had two more minutes."

"She is the kind that will take it that extra step."

Commander, Special Forces, Afghanistan was talking to his XO.

"That mission was a little close. Command screwed up not letting them have that extra tank."

"Yes sir. The Company and Battalion commander already made that point. I think they will give their people a little more margin next time."

"They better. I heard the last one down had her engines die just as she touched down."

"That is what I hear as well. She was heard to tell her CO that she thought she had 2 more minutes left."

"Parker, right?"

"Only woman Apache driver in country now that that crazy Brit is gone."

"Is it something about being women apache drivers that make them take it closer to the edge?"

"Not sure sir but that might be something to think on."

"I hope our people made sure she knows we appreciate it."

"Captain Thomas already let her know."

"Good. It never hurts to make that known; might get us a little edge now and then when it matters."

That story made it all the way up the ladder to General Brown, who just nodded when told.

"She showed some serious cojones at Campbell; and before; no one should be surprised."

As spring began, the weather got hotter and so did the fighting. Starting in April, the Apache's of A company began to get more work as did the others. The British were switching out their Apache's and were not operational, so the 1st Battalion got more calls. While there were other attack helicopters, everyone wanted the Apache's there since they had the real muscle. First Battalion spent more time supporting the other countries as well; before the Brits took care of them.

Liz and Max were seeing each other regularly; or as much as they could when things started to get busier for Liz. Liz found herself really liking Max and starting to get comfortable with him. Max was coming to the realization that he just might be really serious about Liz. When she admitted to him that he was really her first serious boyfriend, he was startled. Iz had told him that she suspected it; but he really had not believed it. Not only extremely cute but really nice, he found it very hard to believe that she had not done any dating before. She blushed a little when he stated that, then got quiet. Finally she took his hand as they sat as they usually did together at the mess hall.

"I had to work if I wanted anything in Wyoming. Mom made a good salary but it was expensive living there. So I was a waitress and worked most weekends. That did not really leave much time to see anyone. Then I went in the Army and it seems like I just never either had the time; or the situation was just not good for even looking so I did not even try. I mean you look around here and this is not exactly a great place to try and date; but I am. So does that tell you anything?"

He held her hand a little tighter. "Yes it does. Liz, I have been a rolling stone since I left high school. Do not have much to show for it except a fat bank account. Which in the grand scheme of things means very little. But I think I might have a reason now to finally settle down."

Liz blushed softly. "Well, I guess we have to see how things go, don't we?"

"I hope so."

Liz was flying virtually every day the weather allowed it; and that was most days right now. With the other demands, multi mission days were becoming more and more common. Which was tough on the pilots and copilots, but even tougher on the crews. Liz talked to Grunt one afternoon after getting back from their second mission that day. That morning they had escorted a Canadian supply run; that afternoon a US one. They had not had to do any shooting, but it was still time in the cockpit and time on the bird.

"How is the crew doing, Grunt?"

"Hanging in there, LT. But this multi mission stuff makes it hard to get things done and get any sleep; let alone anything else."

"Don't think Ted and I do not appreciate it, Grunt. We both know damn well how good our bird is because you guys take care of it."

"It's nice to hear, LT, though the crew and I know that already."

The next week brought an incident that was to be the talk of Apache Drivers everywhere for years to come.

Another Spec Ops mission. Another high pass, another village being searched for Taliban leadership. Different area.

Once again 4 hawks in with the Spec Ops, 2 in reserve. A Company flying support. This time though they would have two external fuel tanks. One pod of rockets and one pod of hellfires. It was not quite as far away so this time no one was really worried about fuel. This was 6 Battalion so none of the Crew were here.

Yet Liz had a funny feeling as they set out; just as they were getting close that feeling got a little stronger and she talked to Ted.

"Ted, I have a funny feeling about this mission."

"What, Liz."

"Not sure. But it's getting stronger; let's be extra watchful this time."

Ted thought about this. Liz was not one to do say anything like this. She never had before.

"NO problem with that."

This time 1st Platoon was high cover and 2nd was low. Which should have meant that Liz was in the safer position. But her feeling of dread began to grow.

The hawks went in; as before the Air Force had shaken everyone up with a bombing run; the idea was that most would stay under cover which would give the spec ops the edge coming in.

2nd Platoon was down low; 1st was high; everyone was keeping a close watch. Then it began to go sideways.

"Spectre, I have multiple targets NW of dustoff."

"Take them."

"Multiple targets SW of Dustoff."

"We will take them; Scooter come on down and take close cover"

"10-4" "Doberman to the right; I will take left"

"10-4" Liz headed down with Jake right behind her; her feeling was screaming at her now. She came in a little hot; around 40 knots, faster than she would have usually.

Behind her Jake was watching for anything; she was going in a little fast. Then he saw it.

From a spider hole out popped a insurgent with a RPG. He was aiming for the lead Apache.

"DOBERMAN RPG beneath you to the right!"

Liz heard that and firewalled everything as she banked hard to the left, pushing everything as far as she could.

Jake was aiming the 30 but he knew he could not hit him before he fired. Just as he did the Taliban fighter let go. The RPG wooshed out and an instant later he was in pieces as several 30MM rds tore him apart.

Liz kept it hard left everything; in her mind she could almost see him; he would be firing right for the belly of the bird; she had to move it away. The RPG would be affected by the downdraft but how much. All this was running through her mind as she worked her ship. She kept turning; and rolling. And rolling.

A helicopter, if it has rigid enough rotors, can do a barrel roll. Apache's have done that; in early testing it was done and there have been rumors of others. But they had all been flying high and over 100 knots when they did it. Not at 500 feet from the ground doing 40-50.

Ted had just enough time to think that Liz's premonition was coming through when the chopper violently rolled left; and kept going; he could not believe it as he was on his side, then upside down; almost casually he saw the RPG round go past so close he did not know how it missed the rotors; then he was no longer on his side then upright. Liz had done a complete barrel roll.

Buzzers and warning lights lit up the cockpit like New Years Eve in Times Square. The Apache was letting Liz know it was NOT happy. She got it back upright and was still pulling away, then she eased off and slowed down, not wanting to make any sudden moves, not knowing if there was serious damage or not.

Jake had his mouth open staring up; she had done a barrel roll!

The rest of the company had finished their shooting and all were looking for Doberman. The two Blackhawks that were up several thousand feet had the best seats in the house.

"Doberman! What is your condition?"

"Scooter, not sure; got enough warning lights and buzzers to make Vegas look like nothing. Will check and let you know."

Griffith managed to get back to work.

"OK people check the perimeter; there might be more; I want everyone over Angels 10 right now."

Tense minutes ran by as everyone tried to look everywhere to make sure no one else was in the mood to try.

Liz had the Apache moving at about 30 knots at minimal power; checking everything. The lights went off and the buzzers got quiet. She took one more look and told Ted. "I think I just might have used up all my luck on this one. She seems OK."

"Well I need clean underwear."

Liz smiled at that; the adrenaline was pumping through her system and she knew she had to control herself or let Ted take the stick. Taking deep breaths she calmed herself.

"Scooter, this is Doberman. I don't know how, but I have a green board."

"10-4 Doberman. Maintain position with reserve hawks."

"10-4."

Only minutes later the Spec Ops called in for dustoff; down went 2nd platoon but this time there was no incoming. Looked like they had taken care of business. All four came down and the Spec Ops wasted no time coming out; in 10 minutes everyone was up and leaving.

"Doberman, remain on station with Hawks all the way in."

"10-4."

Liz knew that they wanted her near the reserve hawks just in case her Apache decided enough was enough. She was certainly not going to argue.

As it turned out, aboard one of the reserve hawks was a camera man; military not civilian media. They shot footage fairly often. Never knew when it might come in handy. By pure chance he had caught the whole thing pretty well.

Liz was needless to say very alert to any strange noises, vibrations or anything else out of the ordinary. But her Apache behaved itself all the way back to base.

Liz set her down and shut down. Then sat for a minute. Taking a deep breath she slowly got out to find the whole Company waiting. As one they all went down on their knees and Salaammed.

"WE'RE NOT WORTHY!"

Liz's laughter peeled out and they got up and one by one gave her a hug. They all knew just how close they had come to losing one of their own.

Her crew chief came up. "LT, are they for real? Did you really do a slow speed barrel roll at 500 feet?"

Liz took a deep breath. "Yep."

He just shook his head. "Well they are going to go over this bird with a fine toothed comb."

The Debrief was very interesting. The Brigade Commander was present as was the Maintenance Chief and the Tech chief for Apache's. They wanted her to go over everything five or six times. The normal debrief took an hour. This one took three.

"You just maintained even control?"

"Yes sir. I had reached a point where I felt it was more dangerous to try and right it and just kept the pattern going for a full roll. I was probably past 90 degrees at that point."

Finally the Tech Chief went up to Liz and shook her hand.

"Lt, the experts will say what you did was impossible at that altitude and speed. It's a given no one has tried anything like that. Your personal guardian angel has got to be exhausted."

"Sir, I think she will probably put in for a transfer."

The Brigade Commander came up and shook her hand as well.

"Well if she calls for advice I will tell her to cut and run."

That night at dinner Griffith told her that they had it on film and even then they did not believe it. He told her that her bird was grounded pending a very thorough check.

The Crew was waiting for her and all puppy piled her. She did not object at all. About half an hour later the Major came in.

"Parker, there is a guy here to see you and while normally I would run him off, I think he deserves to see you after the stunt you pulled today."

Liz went to the main door and Max grabbed her hard. She let him and rested her chin on his chest.

"Liz, I cannot believe what they said you did. That was beyond crazy. But I guess since it worked I cannot complain."

"Max, it was crazy, but at the time it seemed the thing to do."

He let her go and kissed her forehead. "Get some sleep, Liz."

Then he walked out. Liz stood there for a moment with a very dopy grin on her face until the Crew grabbed her and pulled her back to their room.

The Brigade Commander and many others were in the room as the film was shown. While the camera had been about a mile away, it had a zoom feature so that it looked like they were only a few hundred feet away. They saw just at the corner the Taliban stand up and the camera start to move his way; then he fired and just after that he was shredded by the 30MM. The Helicopter could be seen starting to bank; it started to climb while banking; then it kept banking until it was clear it was becoming a roll; then it kept on rolling, steadily, until it straightened up and continued to climb up and away. The cameraman could not follow it any more as it crossed past his view. But the roll was very well caught on film. It did not look frantic though it was fast.

The Brigade Commander looked at the 1st Battalion Commander.

"The Factory reps want a complete workover of that bird. The early view is that it's probably fine but everyone wants to look anyway."

"Not surprising sir. Any idea how long that will take?"

"Several days probably."

Liz took the word that her bird and her were grounded for a few days philosophically.

"I guess I can catch up on my sleep some."

After that she wandered down to the hanger; the rest of the company was out on a mission. So was the rest of the Battalion. The only bird in the hanger was hers. It was not in its bubble but in the middle of the floor with quite a number of people gathered around it.

She went up to Grunt who was on the outskirts of the crowd.

"Quite a draw. Maybe we should sell tickets."

"Could retire right now – and this is the beginning. Just about every chopper tech in country is going to want to come here to look at this bird."

"Well word from up above is that Boeing is sending a team here to look it over so it will be grounded for several days. Look at it this way; your guys can catch up on their sleep."

"That is what they are doing right now. I told them to just hang out until called. Matter of fact I think I might do the same soon."

"Why not chief; I think I will catch up on some sleep myself."

"Next time you want to get some time off just put in a leave slip."

She looked over to see the Battalion Commander standing there.

"But would it have gotten approved?"

"Tell them this might happen again and I think it will."

Liz grinned.

She wandered off again as it was clear the crowd was not going anywhere. Having a thought she went to see if Max was free. She went to the office of the contractor and low and behold he was there.

"Liz! What are you doing here?"

"My bird, and thus me, are grounded until Boeing sends a tech crew to look it over. Probably several days. You got any spare time?"

"As a matter of fact I do."

There were not exactly any tourist areas at Bagram; so they ended up going to where the PX was and finding a seat at the little mall that had been going up gradually over time.

Liz realized that this was a chance to really talk and she looked at Max.

"Is there somewhere quiet we can go and just talk?"

He thought for a minute then nodded. They walked back to his office and he grabbed a vehicle and they headed to the main post. There was a large conference room in the main HQ and it was pretty empty; it also had some very comfortable chairs.

"This is where VIPS come to get briefed and the like. It's not used very often."

So they just sat there and talked for hours. Then they got something to eat and came back and talked for more. Finally they got dinner and she went back to her quarters and crashed.

He told her about his time in the corps, and after. He had been to a fair number of places both in the US and outside. She told him about her life in Worland, and then at Basic, Stewart, Iraq and Benning and Rucker.

They spent most of the next three days together just talking and walking. By the time the Battalion commander told her to be at a meeting they had really gotten to know each other very well. Max had to do a few things now and then; so Liz caught up on her laundry and sent out emails to everyone. And got some real sleep.

Liz sat in the meeting with the Boeing tech team.

"From everything we can tell, there is no damage. All systems check out and nothing looks bent or stressed."

He then looked at her and asked her to go through the whole thing, which Liz did.

Finally they signed off the bird as being fully operational.

The Battalion commander told her that she was back on duty and on flight status the next day.

The next morning she ran into Ted.

"What have you been doing?"

"Sleeping."

Word of Liz's maneuver had begun to trickle out as people told people and phone calls and emails went out. It was a hell of a story so it began to attract attention. Two days after it a media rep contacted the Brigade PR officer.

"We have heard that someone barrel rolled an Apache at low speed and altitude and got away with it."

The PR officer had been told to not deny it but to not call attention to it.

An Apache did an extreme maneuver to avoid a RPG fired at it."

And that was all he would say.

More media heard of it; many hearing it second and third hand as Aviation forums gave it great play. No one would identify who did it; but even that began to leak out. 5 days after it, a day after Liz went back on flight status another Media person confronted the Brigade PR officer.

"We have heard it was done by the only female Apache pilot in country."

Trapped the PR officer did the only thing he could do beyond no comment. "That is correct."

The story probably would have garnered a little more attention if the film had not gotten out. How that happened was something that triggered a full investigation but no one was ever brought up on charges, though the film was much better secured after this.

Someone made a digital copy and found a way to get it out of country. It was thought that someone made a DVD and it got to Fox the day after one of their reporters confirmed Lt Elizabeth Parker as the pilot who found a new way to avoid an RPG.

"This is Fox News Tonight. We have some incredible footage to show you from the war on Terror in Afghanistan. One of the chief weapons used against Al Queeda and the Taliban is the AH-64D Apache Attack Helicopter. It is the most heavily armed attack helicopter in the world and it is on the front lines of the fight every day. Needless to say the Taliban hate and fear it; and try everything to shoot one down no matter what the cost. Well we have footage taken by a military cameraman who just happened to be in the right time and the right place for something extraordinary. Now we want to warn you that part of this footage is grisly. We debated editing it and decided not to. So if there are young children watching this now We advise their parents to change the channel.

The 1st Battalion of the 101st aviation Brigade, part of the 101st Airborne Division, known as the Screaming Eagles, the division that held Bastogne in WW2 at the Battle of the Bulge; the division that one unit had the incredible mini series Band of Brothers made about, is a battalion that has 24 AH-64D Longbow Apache's, the most advanced model. Company A of that battalion was involved in an operation after suspected Taliban commanders in a small village in Afghanistan. The normal procedure is that the Special Forces come in Blackhawk helicopters and make their attack while the Apache's hover nearby to give them cover fire. They usually are about 500 of so feet up moving slowly as long as the Blackhawks are on the ground.

Now a word here. There are some maneuvers that are rather easily done by fixed wing aircraft that are very difficult if not impossible to do by helicopters because of how they work.

You are about to see one.

The cameraman from what we have been told just happened to be on this side of the helicopter that was part of the reserves that waited to be called if needed. So it was by pure luck that this was caught on film. You see this helicopter going low to make sure there is no one getting close to the blackhawks on the ground. At just about this time some enemy soldiers were spotted and you can see those Apache's firing on them. More showed up so that the high cover platoon was called down to help out. You see this one coming down quickly to assist; and right THERE (freezing the film) you see a Taliban fighter coming out of a hole to fire an RPG, a rocket propelled grenade normally used for fighting tanks and armored vehicles, and if he can hit an Apache it will almost certainly destroy it and kill the crew. One of the other Apache's spot the fighter and warn the Apache being targeted (Film unfreezes) you see him firing and the other Apache hitting him with 30MM which disintegrates him and there you see the Apache banking away and beginning to roll; and it continues to roll and does a complete Barrel roll at a slow speed and low altitude and that is where you last see the Apache as the RPG just misses it and it finishes the barrel roll. And it kept right on going and made it back to base and after a careful inspection it is flying again. What is even more remarkable about this incident is that the pilot is the Only Woman pilot flying an Apache in Aghanistan, Lt Elizabeth Parker of Worland Wyoming. Lt Parker is not unknown to those who have followed the war on terror. She was the first and so far only woman to have been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism in combat in a battle in Iraq in 2003. She was also credited with the probable saving of the life of Congressman…

And so on it went. Giving an update basically on Liz's life in the military.

In an apartment in Athens Georgia, where three juniors attending the University of Georgia are sitting watch Fox news as they do most nights, looks are exchanged between three very shocked young women.

Nancy Parker also happened to be watching Fox News and sat stunned and shocked. Ed was right next to her as he was most nights and he held her as she shook and cried. Finally settling down. "God, how close can she get and still get away?"

The Congressman was not watching that night but one of his staff was and let him know. He looked at the footage and shook his head.

Liz found out the next day because as with most US Military bases they show Fox News if they can. Several of the pilots told her then she got a call from Battallion.

"Lt Parker the newsies want to talk to you."

"Well I do not want to talk to them."

"Understandable. At this time that is still your prerogative. The general may think differently. They really poured it on about you last night."

Liz hung up and shook her head and looked at Winston.

"Get me up in the air, boss, that is safer than being here hunted by newsies."

Now a bunch of reporters had the Brigade PR officer under heavy fire wanting to talk to Lt Parker.

"She does not wish to talk to reporters."

Frustrated they then went to something a couple of them had found out and spread around.

"Sometime before this we heard that there was a mission that lasted longer than it was supposed to and she was the last helicopter to land and she ran out of fuel. Is this true?"

"Yes. The mission ran over long and she was the last one to land. Just as she set down her engines quit from running out of fuel."

"Why was she the last to land?"

"She was the last to leave the combat scene."

"Why was she the last to leave?"

The PR officer prayed for strength.

"If you take ten different helicopters all of the same model and give them all the same fuel, you would have all of them run out of fuel at different times. Some are slightly more efficient then others; some pilots fly more economically then others. On that mission She was the last to leave the scene because she was able to stretch her fuel supply slightly better then any of the other pilots. She stayed to give cover fire to the last helicopter evacuating wounded Special Forces personnel."

He stopped and realized he had just given the monster more meat.

"That is all for today" and got out of there.

The Brigade commander gave him a look. "Yes sir I know I should have told them less."

"Well I think we no longer have any choice. Despite her very justifiable feelings on the matter, she will have to meet with them."

"Yes sir. BCU's or class A's?"

"Normally I would say BDU's but in this case since the monster wants to be fed badly have her come in Class A. I am saying this because I know that is what Washington will tell us to do."

Hours later he would have that confirmed.

"I have to do WHAT?"

"Liz, I hate it too but this comes from the Pentagon."

"But in Class A? In the warzone its allways BDU! I did not bring one."

He blinked at that. "Well that is good. Maybe we can delay it; or let you do it in BDU. Will have to tell brigade."

"She did not bring one?"

"Well sir it's a war zone."

"Well that is good. We can tell the Pentagon it will have to be good ol BDU."

"Yes sir." He hung up and looked at his PR officer.

"You are to call Germany and have one flown in special tonight for a Press conference tomorrow evening that will be shown live in the US; it will be midnight here and shown at 3PM Friday in the east."

Liz stared at him then shook her head and then gave her measurements. She walked out of the Brigade commanders HQ and got in a vehicle waiting to take her back to the flight line.

Winston looked at her; then again. "What is it this time?

Liz looked at him in disgust. "I just gave my measurements to a Major General in Germany. He will make sure a class A uniform gets here tomorrow in time for a midnight press conference where I will get an Air Medal and then talk to the reporters. Its timed for 3PM Friday afternoon in the US."

He blinked and shook his head. "Man, this is out of control."

Liz went back to her quarters and lay on her bed staring up at the roof. The Crew came in and saw her laying like that. They looked at each other then sat down next to her.

Jess said softly. "Liz?" No reaction. "Liz?" a little louder. Finally she turned her head and looked at them.

"What is it?"

"Liz something is wrong. Tell us?"

So she did.

They agreed she had a right to be dazed and confused.

The PR officer went over how to go about it.

"Just think your answers through. Speak steadily and carefully. Right now they love you but they can turn on you in a heartbeat and tear you too pieces. Remember what they did to Jessica Lynch and she had done nothing wrong."

She had a couple of hours before the uniform was due to arrive and she went and hid in Max's office.

Max was worried about Liz; all this attention had made her go into a shell.

"Liz, none of this is your fault. You just happen to go through some very extraordinary events."

"So do lots of soldiers and they never get one percent of what I am getting."

Winston and Griffith were talking to Ted Dugan.

"Liz is getting very depressed over all of this. She hates it and thinks people will begin to believe she is hunting for glory. Becoming a showoff."

"No one here believes that. Every bit of recognition she is getting she has earned."

"I am just worried about her."

The two officers looked at each other. Winston looked thoughtful.

"Word is that we will probably be grounded tomorrow, right?"

"Weather pretty much confirmed that an hour ago. That is why we were not flying today. Winds are too high and that storm will be in tonight. That plane bringing her uniform will get in just before it hits. Probably will not be flying Saturday either."

"OK. This is the first real break we have been able to count on since we got here 5 months ago. It's time for a party; everyone can blow off some steam. Let's talk to Battalion and make sure that everyone is at the party that we will throw right after the press conference. We can let it go till dawn and then let everyone sleep it off tomorrow. We can them make sure that Liz knows that everyone that matters knows the score. We can get some of the Spec Ops guys here as well. Maybe that guy that was wounded. He can thank her personally. That should get her back to normal; if anything could."

So out went the word. Having a blowout is a good idea in most times; being able to have one when in the middle of a combat zone is even more desirable and important. Ted went looking for Max and found him and let him know.

Winston called up the Spec Ops guys and told them a party was coming and to bring their guys; and especially the ones that Liz had saved that day. He told them that she was depressed and afraid people would thing she was a glory hound and all stuck up. They told him they would be there.

The Brigade Commander thought it was a great idea for all of the people who had been working their tales off for months.

The uniform had been delivered and Liz had it on while the Crew worked on her and primped her. When they were done they all looked at her and agreed she looked fine.

Jesse spoke for all of them.

"Liz you are a hero. Just as much as anyone is. You have been there and done that. You have as much a right as anyone to get honored. And lets be honest girl; you have a fair amount of fruit salad there."

Liz looked at the clock and saw that it was 2300. They all trooped out the door and Liz found a Staff car waiting for her.

Liz had emailed her mother and let her know about the press conference; so Nancy was at home watching.

Maria, Isabelle and Tess cut class. They were watching.

At least one congressman in DC was watching.

So were a lot of other people.

Liz stood ready in a room next to the main press room. The PR officer was right beside her as was Winston and Griffith and Dugan. Liz looked around her and smiled slightly, Winston noticed.

"Liz if you got a joke handy now is the time to use it."

She smiled and relaxed a little.

"Well look at me; the only one in Class A except the General and a couple others. And look how short I am. And how tall just about everyone else is."

The General walked up to the Mics in Class A.

"We have a small ceremony first then there will be a Press Briefing with Lt Parker."

Liz marched in with the others and stood at attention. The general moved forward. The PR officer read Liz's commendation

On March 23, 2008, while flying cover for a Special Operations mission, Lt Elizabeth Parker by flying extremely efficiently was able to stay on station after all other AH-64 Apaches had to leave to return to base and give critical covering fire as wounded Spec Ops soldiers were evacuated. She returned to base only to have her aircraft run out of fuel exactly as she landed

LT Elizabeth Parker. Liz stepped forward and saluted the General. He returned the salute then picked up the Medal and pinned it on her. Then they exchanged Salutes and she returned to the line.

The General then moved to the Microphones.

"I am certain that Lt Parker would rather be flying in combat than at this press conference but here she is."

Liz moved to the mic and the PR Officer moved to her side. He picked out a reporter.

"Lt Parker, when you made that very difficult maneuver, why did you do it?"

"I got warning from my wingman that a RPG was about to be fired at me from below and to the right. I banked left, throttle wide open, and rammed the collective to the left. I kept rolling, looking to my right and I saw the RPG just miss the rotors as it went by. By that time I was past 90 degrees and made the judgment call that correcting was more dangerous than continuing the roll. I completed one revolution and straightened out continuing to climb while I tried to sort out all the warning lights and buzzers going off. What I did was not in the book and the aircraft let me know about that in no uncertain terms. By the grace of God my aircraft was not damaged and it got us back to base in one piece."

"Lt Parker, the operation during which you just received the air medal; what did you do that allowed you to use less fuel?"

"I have what I think is the best crew Chief, Sergeant Gunt, and the best ground crew in the Brigade. He keeps my ship at peak efficiency, which is pretty hard in the dust and sand here in Afghanistan. That is a large part of the reason. Many pilots relax flying in, so as to save their energy for the fight and flight back. When at the edge of range as we were on that mission, I try and concentrate and fly as carefully as possible so as to use as little fuel as possible. And of course it helps to be as small and light as I am. That less 100 or so pounds does count as well."

"LT Parker, what is it like being the only female in an Apache Battalion?"

"Well, there never is a line outside the Ladies Room."

That got a big laugh.

And around the nation.

She took a few more questions about what it was like in Afghanistan and so on and then the PR Officer ended it and Liz marched out with the rest of them.

Nancy smiled through her tears. "That's my girl."

Three tearful girls in Georgia hugged each other.

A congressman in DC nodded and smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

Max was waiting for her back at her barracks and proceeded to kiss her senseless while her roomies cheered. Liz slowly let go and then blushed rosily. She smiled at him.

"I do not want to wear this thing any longer. I will change back to normal and then let's hit the party."

The party finally ended at 0600 and everyone staggered back to their rooms. Liz was slightly gassed as was everyone else. So they all staggered to their rooms and passed out. Sometime in the afternoon every aspirin available was consumed and people slowly dragged themselves out to groan and recover.

Liz got something to eat then went back to the barracks and took a long shower. Then headed back to her room. The Crew was all laying down as well. They just lay there and finally they all drifted off. She woke up at 0500 the next morning and listened; the wind was still whistling which meant no flight ops. She went back to sleep before waking up for good at 0700.

Saturday was a miserable day as Friday had been and outside of eating everyone stayed in their barracks. That gave Liz and the others time to talk.

Jesse started it off; she talked about her home in Illinois not far from Chicago. And how she was looking to get out and get into commercial aviation. Ellen talked about growing up in Seattle, and how she was also looking at aviation as a career after the military. Vicki was thinking of going to college when she got out; she was happy to get out of Detroit and did not want to go back. When they asked Liz for her plans, she smiled.

"Stay in as long as they let me fly; then go into some kind of flying job afterwards. Not sure where I want to go for that; probably out west somewhere; but NOT Wyoming. I liked Colorado and the mountains; so probably somewhere around there if possible."

Ellen looked thoughtful. "Liz, not to remind you of what you don't like, but here is the deal. You can just about write your own ticket in the US Army. You are probably going to end up as one of the most decorated Officers to come out of this war. You will be able to stay in as long as you want. Now as regards flying you will make Captain next year without a doubt and get a company. In another year Major and get a battalion or at least be an XO. They will push you to take college courses and the like; because you look great and as that press conference showed you can do them as well as you fly. You will make Lt Colonel at least and probably full Bird. And that is if you do nothing more spectacular from now on. Which judging from your past will not happen. That is what I see. Do any of you disagree?"

They all shook their heads. Liz stared at her blankly.

"Wow."

The Brigade Commander was talking to his PR officer.

"The PR weanies in DC loved her. Universally."

"She did a whole lot better than I thought she would. She is a natural; they do not scare her."

"Considering her career, that is not a surprise. She has a real future if she wants it."

"Frankly sir, it's up to the Army to make sure she wants to stay in. We need more like her and never have enough."

"That is a fact."

"Sir you wanted to see me?"

"I want you to talk to some people. I want to know what Elizabeth Parker would need to do to make it as a career in the US Army. I know moving beyond Major is tough for any officer without a degree. Frankly She shows that is moronic. This idea that people MUST have a degree to get anywhere high up on the ladder is truly stupid. She damn well ought to make full colonel at least before she retires. She is just coming up on 25 and will be a captain early next year before she is 26. With her record and accomplishments and smarts and poise, there is no excuse for pushing her out just because she did not waste four years somewhere."

They were flying again by Sunday as the storm blew out and cleared out the weather; it was clear and very nice.

Over the next week there was not much going on; the Taliban seemed to have gone into hiding for a while and very little action was seen.

"Sir I have that report you asked for about what Lt Parker should do."

"Well?"

"The military personnel men I spoke to were embarrassed; they admitted as long as they were not named that she would almost certainly be stopped at Major. The Degree part is so ingrained that nothing she could do would get her past Major if she does not take off several years and get a degree. Promotion boards would not pass her; the regulations have procedures for exceptions but they are ignored. She would not be the first case of someone with extraordinary ability thrown out for not being able to show a diploma."

The congressman slowly nodded; his face carefully blank. His aide knew that he put on that face when he was VERY angry.

"I want those examples in detail. Then the new secretary of Defense and I will be having a talk."

Liz stretched and headed for the shower. For some reason she felt especially good that morning. She did not know why. They were due for another escort mission that day; the Brits had gotten their Apache's operational again so the load had lightened on 1st Battalion. So they were holding steady at no more than one mission a day. In the month since the award ceremony things had gone pretty well. One of the Blackhawks from 6 Battalion had been shot down; but no one was killed. One was seriously wounded but would recover. It was now the middle of May and it was getting hot. They were almost at the half way of their 15 month deployment; if there were no holdups they would be back in the US by March of 2009. Scooter had just gotten his promotion and was now Captain. Griffith would soon get his oak leafs and step up to take the Battalion XO position. He would try to stay in the cockpit but that was a losing battle against the job and paperwork. Winston had told Liz she would be taking over 1st Platoon while he took over 2nd Platoon and the company. He told her that he figured she would get her railroad tracks before they left Afghanistan. Liz liked that in one stance because promotion was always nice; but on the other hand it took her one step closer to not flying all the time.

Then she thought of Max and a goofy smile came over her face as she padded back to her room. Jesse looked up as she came into the room and laughed.

"Liz has Max face."

The others laughed and Liz blushed.

Liz had quietly admitted that she had fallen hard for Max. And he seemed to feel the same way. He was looking to make sure that he was done in Afghanistan the same time she was. He made it plain that he would be going back to the US and looking for a job around Ft Campbell. Liz smiled again when she thought of the quiet but firm way he had made that clear; and how he had kissed her after it. She had written a letter to Isabelle.

Isabelle read the letter to the others. When she was done they all were quiet for a while. Maria finally stirred.

"At last Liz is living."

Isabelle nodded. "I told my parents that Max is looking at coming back to the US once and for all and that it's because of Liz. They have wanted him to settle down for so long."

The lull in combat did not last all that long. Starting in June the Taliban began to push and cause trouble. They had been quietly building up strength in other parts of the country and the coalition began to realize that. It had been decided to bring in more US troops and air power. More Special Operations forces as well. More search and destroy missions began to happen.

The Apache's began to start seeing multiple missions a day again after a few months lapse. Which put more of a strain on Pilots, copilots, the choppers and the ground crews. The only good news was that they were all experienced so that made a difference.

Liz really did not like the summers here. VERY hot and dusty and dry and generally miserable. They got some swamp coolers for the hangers; when it was really dry they did help. The only problem was they also introduced humidity to the aircraft. But overall most agreed it was worth it. When it got over 110 degrees inside the hangers, the coolers would get it down to 85 in the bubbles, which made it bearable.

Spec Ops started a campaign in an area about half an hours flight from Bagram and they began to need a lot of backup from the Apache's. The Taliban had started trying to use civilians as human shields; and that made things a lot harder. It began to reach a point where the Apache's had to use the 30MM more and more as it was the only weapon precise enough to take out the Taliban without killing the civilians they were hiding behind. Problem with that is that to be sure the Apache's had to get closer. Rules were to stay at no lower than 500 feet; and usually at least 7-800 so that RPG's would not have the range to hit them. That was the only weapon that really was a threat to an apache. The Blackhawks were of course much more vulnerable and the Taliban began to try and take them down instead of the much tougher and more dangerous Apache's.

Liz of course did not know of a private meeting with the new SECDEF that the Congressman had arranged.

He had given the SECDEF the report that had made him so very angry.

The SECDEF quickly read it and sighed.

"This is not exactly a surprise."

"Each of those officers chased out by this stupidity is worth 100 of those ticket punchers out of any college."

"I will not argue, Congressman. But that is the system."

"Then change it. I do not see where it generates better officers than the old system did. On the surface they might look more polished; but underneath where it counts they are mostly empty suits. This system has been built to prevent any mavericks, any real gifted different types from ever getting anywhere. Cookie cutter sounds nice and neat but this current generation of Generals and Admirals come from that system and frankly mr Secretary they do not look like much and have not impressed anyone. And the more junior generals are even worse. I would say maybe one out of ten show real ability. The rest of them are nothing special at all. This country deserves better; the soldiers and sailors and airmen and Marines deserve better."

"What would you have me do?"

"Well here is what I propose."

General Davison was going to retire soon; he had been passed over for his third star and was getting out. Or he was.

'The Secretary of Defense proposed and congress has approved, a new type of promotion board. It will go over those rejected for promotions and see if there are those that have ability that the system refuses to reward. This will be at the Lt Colonel level and above. Its recommendations will go straight to the Secretary of Defense, bypassing all services. These officers will most likely be mavericks or those that have not played the political game that is required so much to get promoted in the modern military. It has been remarked many times over the last decade or so that a soldier like Patton, a sailor like Bill Halsey or Hyman Rickover, a Marine Like Chesty Puller, a pilot like Billy Mitchell would never reach high rank in the modern military. This new promotion board would try and see to it that those exceptions are not lost. And also would try and force the rest of the military establishment to recognize the need for the occasional maverick and trouble maker'

General William Davison, current commander of the 101st Airborne; had been due to retire after getting passed over. But the new promotion board; called by some the maverick board, recommended his promotion and it was approved by the President and Congress. It will remain to be seen if this starts to change the status quo.

It was now July and the summer was at its peak. Temperatures were regularly over 110 degrees. Liz and the others were very grateful that the barracks had A/C. But that also meant that operations on the ground required more water and supplies; thus resupply flights to the FOB's increased. The Taliban was trying to make life as difficult as possible at the FOBs; while the alliance was trying to search out and destroy the Taliban strongholds. It was a back and forth struggle.

It was usual procedure to have one platoon cover a resupply flight. 4 Apaches escorting 4 Chinooks. This day it was 1st platoon and 4 Chinooks from 7th Battalion bringing in a weeks supply for the FOB. 2 Apache's on either side as they came in. Since they landed in the middle of the FOB, it was not necessary for the Apache's to come in close for cover. They would stay at about 1000 feet keeping an eye on things. The biggest threat would be an infiltrating Taliban suicide fighter, hiding with an RPG to fire at one of the Helicopters as it landed.

Liz and Jake were on one side with Ed and Ken on the other. Things looked calm until the Chinooks were just about to land. Right then 4 figures appeared and had RPGs. But they were spotted as soon as they moved and were targeted by the 30MM from each of the Apache's. Only one got off a shot before being shredded and he missed, luckily.

"Let's get down to Angels 5 people; that is probably all there is but let's make sure."

But nothing more happened. Some troopers from the FOB went over to see if they could salvage any of the RPG's but that was it. In half an hour the Chinooks were unloaded and taking off. The flight back was uneventful. Liz had not done anything but fly; Ted had fired the 30MM. Procedures had been set up for who shot at what between the aircraft; which was good. If there had been any hesitation one or more of the Taliban suicide squad would have been able to fire accurately at the Chinooks.

Liz was very surprised when the Brigade Commander had her talk to some of the women of the brigade who were currently enlisted but wanted to become pilots. The Battalion commander reminded her that that was the route she had taken.

"OK. You are here because you have an interest in becoming a pilot. To start with, is that a chopper pilot or fixed wing or you do not care just be a pilot. Raise your hands for Chopper only. Now Fixed wing only. Now either. OK. To start with you also need to consider if you want to do 20 years. If that is the case I have advice for you: DO NOT BECOME AN OFFICER."

Liz rather enjoyed the looks that got.

"Surprised you? Well that is a realization that I only came to in the last year. If I had to do it over again I would have gone to WOCS instead of OCS. Once you are an officer you are at the mercy of the education prejudice. Which means whether you want to or not; you have to go to college. Studying subjects that have very little if anything to do with being an officer. If you do not you will be gone at the level of Major. No Higher. And that means at 12-15 years you are out. No Pension. Now if you become WO's, you can get in your 20 and better yet you can stay doing what you want to do most. I would love it if I could spend my next 13 years in the military flying Apache's, or flying in general. BUT I will not. I am probably going to get my Captain's Bars in the next few months; then I have about 3 years before I can probably become a Major. Another three years and unless I am in college going for a decree I will be out. No matter what I have accomplished in the Military. So there I will be, 31, former Major with a fair amount of experience having to do something else. The best I could do as regards flying is stay with the National Guard. But I will need a job outside that. Lots of crap to deal with. So that is why I am telling you all that no matter what you want, if you want to do 20 active do not become an officer unless you want to go to college. If you do then no problem. But the pressure will stay on even if you get your degree; then they will expect you to get a masters in SOMETHING. DOES NOT MATTER WHAT IT IS. Now for me I will probably in the end break down and do the dance they want me to do despite having no wish at all to go to college; despite the FACT that it will have little if any bearing on what I do in the military. I could get a degree in Art History and then a Master there and they would be happy because I punched the ticket that they demand be punched. So think about it, Ladies. Think and plan."

The Major from her barracks had sat in quietly; later on she was talking to the brigade commander and told her what Liz had said.

He sighed. "Not like she was not being brutally honest with them."

The Major was quiet. "My major is in Literary History."

He looked at her. "oh."

"I am sure she did not know that but her point remains valid. I will probably get promoted to Lt Colonel and if I get my masters there I probably have a good shot at full bird. Mainly because I have that degree. I have nowhere near the record Lt Parker has and will not get near it either. Yet she will hit the ceiling at Major. And I will not."

"So if you were being brutally honest you would have said the same thing."

"Yes sir. But I would not have been that honest with them because I would have worried about it getting out and being used against me later on."

The Brigade commander thought about that for a while then requested Lt Parker see him.

Liz sat before him, willing to bet it was about what she had said at that meeting.

He looked at the young woman in front of him; very composed, yet so young.

"Your statements to those young women; they were not exactly complimentary to the US Army."

"Was not meant to be sir. I was told to advise them. I gave them the most valid advice I had. If you do not want that sir then do not send me again. My message will not change. Can you honestly disagree with what I said?"

"No, I cannot. It is not something I think about; many of us do not think about it. It is just the way the system is." He sighed.

"Well, not to change the subject but your promotion to Captain will be through in the next month. Major Winston will be going to 1st Battalion XO, and Captain Griffith will take over as 1st Company CO. You will take over as commander of 1st Platoon. Which I am sure is no surprise to you."

"No sir."

Liz went back to the barracks thinking about things. Her promotion to Captain was nice, but in the grand scheme of things just meant she was closer to having to decide whether to bow down to the system or not. There were no subjects in college that she really wanted to study. She had thought about it; but the interest was just not there. She felt that unless she really was interested it was a waste of time and she really hated wasting time. Especially four years of it.

The next week was the busiest yet for the Apache drivers. For 6 straight days they did two missions a day. The Taliban was more and more trying to go after the supply and personnel choppers – as they did most of the work.

On the fourth day, the first mission in the morning the 101st Aviation brigade had their first KIA. Liz was guiltily lucky that it was B Company that was escorting a strike mission and they were the ones that lost a Blackhawk to a 12.7MM MG in a hidden position that fired right into the cockpit as it landed; it rolled over and burned. The Pilot was killed and the copilot badly burned. The four passengers were injured but not badly. The Apache's hosed the entire area and the backup Blackhawk pulled the injured out. They were unable to get the pilot out of the Hawk and in a very tough decision the Mission commander ordered the burning Blackhawk destroyed with multiple Hellfire hits. They would not try and recover the body due to where the target was. And they wanted to make sure that the Taliban was unable to get any trophies.

Liz and the rest of the Brigade were very depressed that night. She and A company had had what were comparatively easy milk runs that day; had not had to fire much at all. They quietly sat around that night. Liz was with the Crew; the WO officer killed had been in the 5th Battalion. Liz knew him; but had not known him well.

After a while Liz called Max and he came over and got her and they walked around; it was hot but by 2100 it was not too bad. And they talked.

"I feel guilty because I am glad I was not on that mission."

Max hugged her. "That is just being human, Liz. Nothing to be ashamed of."

Liz found that being with Max just seemed so right. They fit.

The Brigade had little chance to mourn their loss as missions kept up for three more days before weather was bad enough –windy enough- to ground them. They all needed the rest by then.

But the next day the winds died down and they were out again. Command had put into motion a sustained campaign of going after the Taliban wherever they were; deeper and deeper into their controlled or semi controlled areas.

Company A had gotten the reputation of never having lost anyone while they were the escort. Liz and the others fought very hard to keep that up. Her Promotion had officially come through and Liz was now a Captain. And 1st Platoon commander. Which was unusual as most platoons had a Lt as commander and some even had a WO. Blackhawks tended to have more officers then the other lighter helicopters. She was also company XO now and that meant more paperwork. With the multiple missions per day and now more paperwork it was all Liz could do to keep up. Being very organized helped but it was still a more than full load.

The end of August found the first hints of cooler weather which they all welcomed; but it was also when both command and the Taliban stepped up efforts to do in the other. They still had 6 months left on this tour; which seemed forever.

More and more they were doing pre-dawn raids; without any air strikes first. Trying to swoop in and catch the Taliban by surprise. The alliance had the advantage there since there were lots of places that could be attacked and none of them knew when the Birds of Prey would come calling.

The Special Forces commander looked over the mission plan.

"This could be a fairly hot one. If one of the top dogs is there, they will have a fair number of bodyguards. Might even have some serious firepower for them. Beyond the RPGs or 12.7's. Might have one of those 23MM there."

"Possibly sir. He is the third in command overall and no doubt the area commander."

"Well guys the good news is that this is the only mission for today. The bad news is that it could be a hairy one. Command thinks that the Taliban area commander is at this site; and he is third in command of the entire Taliban. So getting him would be a real fist in the nose of the Taliban. But that also means that he is probably going to have some fairly serious protection. As is the pattern anymore, the Taliban are making sure that there are plenty of civilians around. Many not by choice. They are going to villages and taking the entire village hostage then moving them to where their operations are. Hoping that we will kill a bunch of them while they hide behind them; making us look like the bad guys in the international press. So here is how we are going to skin this cat:

Company A will be the close escort; the whole company down on the deck. Company B will be the high escort and reserve. The Hawks will come in with the Apache's right beside them; move in as fast as possible and hit them hard. Rules of engagement are as follows; 30MM only unless you site a bunker or dug in position that the 30 cannot get to. Then it is Hellfire. You are not to use your 2.75's; which is pretty much standard anymore but I got the Battalion commander to buy off with not even bringing them and having two external fuel tanks instead. So we will have more time. It's going to take about 60 minutes to get there; it's very close to the Pakistan border. Which is another reason for no 2.75's; one could go wild and go across the border and cause all sorts of hurt feelings over there. Furthermore we are going low this time; 300 feet. And maybe lower depending on the situation. So you will have to keep a special eye out for RPGs. Spec Ops are taking 8 Hawks in; they are going to flood that village. 4 hawks will be in reserve. Get ready people."

Liz did her preflight check; it was routine and she had never found a problem but that was something you never skimped on. It takes about half an hour if you do it right and Liz always did. Ted was right beside her; 4 eyes looking beats two anytime. Liz reflected that she put in her latest Eval of Ted that he was fully qualified and ready to move up to Pilot. He would probably step in if they lost anyone. She checked the auxiliary fuel tanks as the last think on her check list. It was procedure that you took off on internal and then switched to external afterwards, but Liz chose to take off on External. She liked to save the internal fuel to the last. In some ground trials she had found that just before the auxiliary fuel tank was dry you would have a fluctuation in fuel pressure; and so she made it a point to take every gallon out she could. It was a little more risky but she felt that extra time could be vital; after all it had already happened once to her. That would give her maybe twenty or more gallons out of each tank more than most pilots took. That meant from both tanks a total of an extra twenty minutes flight time. You never knew how much you would need. The mission profile showed that you had to figure at least 70 minutes(counting safety margin) there and back; and at least 1 hour at the site. Even the Blackhawks would have an auxiliary tank this time. They used more fuel due to the high altitude anyway. And any full power moves sucked it right down.

They took off at 0500, pitch dark. They were due to hit the site at 0600, just before dawn. One good thing about where the target was that since it was up a little bit they could fly low and come up; which would mask their sound some. Anything to keep the enemy from finding out that they were about to be visited as long as possible.

"Target in 5 mikes."

"10-4"

Everyone tightened up; Liz was happy to see the fuel fluctuation just at that minute; she could switch over to the other tank now. That unbalanced the apache but not enough to really matter. This meant that she could use up the other auxiliary and over one third of her internal and still make it back to the base. They moved in; it was just starting to get light enough to see. Perfect timing.

1st Platoon was out to the right; Liz in lead; 2nd platoon was to the left, Scooter in lead. Spread out and watching as the hawks bored in. Then they were down and the Spec ops were pouring out and heading into the village. She could see the first Taliban coming out of houses and shooting and getting taken out by the ground pounders. So far so good- total surprise. They hovered right at 300 feet, watching everything for anything. The minutes went by and the Spec Ops got further into the village. Company B then moved over the village at 1000 feet and watched for anyone trying to run or have a vehicle. Not likely there but you never knew. Most likely possibility was someone with a horse trying to get away. The Blackhawks had taken off and were hovering at 1500; waiting to be called for extraction. There were over 80 Spec Ops going into that village; quite a force. They almost certainly outnumbered anyone there.

Inside the village they were indeed getting it done. But it was not as fast as hoped. Clearly these were some of the best fighters the Taliban had left; they used cover well and kept up a high rate of fire. But 40MM HE usually got the job done. House by house the Spec Ops troopers gradually decimated the insurgents. So far only a few civilians had been encountered and as far as they could tell they hadn't shot any.

Unknown to the Spec Ops commander a small group had been in a underground hole; like a large spider hole. 8 Taliban were waiting until the Helicopters came back. There were a group of spec ops holding the landing site but they could not see what could not be seen.

The Taliban commander realized that he would not escape and decided to try and take some of the infidels with him. With explosive charges strapped to them he and his remaining body guards charged. The remainder of his men firing all their weapons as cover.

This sort of tactic was not new; and the Spec Ops ground commander had been expecting it. But being ready for it did not always mean that you could beat it. This time they did not have the needed extra luck.

All four were able to detonate; two did not do anything but shred themselves and some of the remaining fighters. But two of them got close enough and a building collapsed from the blast; and several Spec Ops soldiers were hit.

Everyone could see the explosions. So they waited.

"Eagle Assault; need dustoff for WIA."

"10-4"

2 blackhawks came in; Company A came even lower. Almost by instinct.

Several soldiers were being carried by others; there looked to be 6 wounded. They were quickly loaded in one of the Blackhawks and it took off; headed for base. The other went with it as escort.

Meanwhile soldiers were desperately digging in the collapsed house; three were trapped in the rubble.

"Bearcats spread out- eyes open- check area"

Just in case someone else was looking to join in the fight Company B was going to make sure they found them firsts.

Minutes went by.

Finally they got the trapped men out; luckily not badly injured.

"Spectre Lead- reaching Bingo Status. Will RTB. You have status."

"10-4 Bearcat Lead"

Liz checked her fuel status; Bearcat had been using more fuel moving around; they could stay for another 20 minutes.

"Doberman, get down on the deck. They should be pulling out soon."

"10-4 Scooter."

Liz lead her four Apache's down to 100 feet; minimum distance before they kicked up too much dust to see.

"Eagle Assault- full dustoff."

The remaining 6 Blackhawks headed down. Liz called in.

"OK people, look sharp."

The Spec ops started pouring out of the village. Heading towards the Blackhawks that were landing.

It was then that the hidden Taliban came out of their holes and started firing at the Blackhawks. They thankfully did not have anything other than their AK 47's but at close range they could do damage.

The Spec Ops reacted immediately and quickly cut them down but not before two blackhawks started to smoke.

"Eagle Assault; what is your status this is Spectre Lead."

"Spectre lead two hawks down."

Liz groaned. There was no way they could get all the spec ops out on 4 choppers. She was rather guiltily glad that none of her roomies were down there. She checked her fuel status. Then called her wingmen for fuel status. She had the most left; she had 35 minutes before going back. The others had 20.

Scooter was furiously thinking. They had about a dozen spec ops left that could not be taken by the Blackhawks. It would take at least an hour to get any from Bagram. Unless there was someone in the air they were screwed. He made the call to base.

"Spectre Lead to Control- we need extra transport ASAP."

"10-4 Spectre will advise."

Liz thought hard. If she landed and stayed at idle, she could stay for an hour before she had to leave.

The remaining Spec Ops deployed around the landing site; the Blackhawks were all gone except for the two smoking. Their crews had gone with the rest. Liz had no doubt that each of the Blackhawks leaving was over loaded. The good thing was that they had used up more than half their fuel so they were that much lighter.

"Spectre Lead we have a big boy 50 minutes out."

A chinook was coming but it would be 50 minutes.

"Scooter, this is Doberman. If I land and stay at idle I can be here that long."

Scooter thought hard. Was it better to leave Liz here or take off; maybe any local Taliban would figure it was all over. But leaving the Spec Ops there with no cover went against the grain. Liz had things figured; he had no doubt she could stay that long.

"OK Doberman go down now and then we will leave."

"10-4."

Liz carefully and economically as possible let down at the site.

The Spec ops soldiers stared as the Apache sat down and went to idle. The leader came up to Liz's apache. She opened the hatch.

"Guys want some company?"

"Never sad to see a pretty face." He gave her the OK sign and moved back and she closed the hatch. And they waited. Ted sighed.

"Liz, sometimes I wish you were not so good at milking the juice."

"Just one of my many talents."

Liz had hoped that there might be some Air Force strike planes nearby but there was nothing available either. So they waited.

The Spec Ops guys waited; glad to have the company but very alert to the fact that they were really hanging out there.

"Doberman, this is Eagle Lift. You guys need a ride?"

Liz grinned in relief. "Some green beanies have their thumbs out."

"I guess we can lower our standards just this once. 5 Mikes."

"10-4." She added power and the Apache went into the air. She hovered at 300 feet, she scanned to the right and Ted to the left."

Just as the Chinook set down Liz saw movement to her side. Several fighters had AK-47's.

"Targets RIGHT using the 30!"

Liz hosed them just as another showed up with a RPG and he got shredded as well.

"Doberman Eagle Lift airborne!"

Liz waited an extra minute- then told TED.

"Hellfires on the blackhawks Ted."

"10-4"

He used two on each one and they blew up spectacularly.

Liz then headed out. She checked the gauges. It would be close but she doubted as close as last time. She stayed in position just behind the Big Chinook.

She made it in with just about 10 minutes fuel left.

The rest of the Company waited tensely until Liz had landed then greeted her.

"Late again Parker. Do you have an excuse slip from your parents?"

"I am not late- you left early!"

The pilot of the Chinook was at the debrief.

"That RPG was aimed right at the cockpit when Doberman toasted him."

He looked at Liz. "We had counting spec ops 30 people on board." He rose and shook her hand. "You need a favor, Cap, anytime anywhere name it."

"Watch out I might call that marker in!"

The Crew was waiting for her in the Barracks.

Jesse was the first to hug her. "You did not know but I was flying for Jones. I was on the first Chopper that got hosed."

Liz gasped then slumped. "One of the reasons I kept my cool was I thought none of you guys's birds had been hit."

The Spec Ops ground commander finished his report.

"Bottom line was sir we were dead lucky. No one dead and no one critically wounded. If Parker had not stayed behind it would have been really bad."

Special Operations Commander Afghanistan nodded.

"We are adding up a big tab there. This is the second time she has put herself on the line and covered us."

"Sir it's time we showed our appreciation."

"yes it is."

"I think a commendation is due for this last mission for Captain Parker."

"Yes sir. Another Air Medal?"

"Start the paperwork."

Two days later another assault on a suspected stronghold; but this one was not as big.

"OK Company A will be escorting a strike by Spec Ops on another base and 6th Battalion will have 4 Hawks. This is a small one in comparison but farther= we will be 90 minutes flying to target."

This mission was to have problems due to the last one; the wounded from that mission were spread over separate teams and that meant some mixing and matching were needed for the team hitting this target. That was bad because they had not worked together; and they had one total newby. That can cause problems and this time it did.

Liz was a little worried; this mission had been textbook. Not one single problem. Nothing at all. Absolutely on time getting there; and it looked like there was very little resistance.

The newby had been told to stay with his sergeant; and he had. Until he noticed something in one room of a house they were clearing. His sergeant was talking on the radio to the commander and did not notice him going into the room. He left the building and headed towards the dustoff point. He looked back quickly but did not realize the trooper right behind him was not the newby.

Inside the room the newby saw something about a wall that did not look right and he kicked at it; and a man with a knife came at him. He swung and hit him upside the head but he slipped on some cloth on the floor and hit his head as he fell. Stunned. Both of them lay there; one fully unconscious and one almost there.

They headed back to the base; the Sergeant looked around and realized the newby was not with him. He checked again and then called to the other chopper. They were more than halfway to base; and the backup choppers had moved ahead and were even close to base. It became clear they had left a man behind.

Liz was leading her platoon; flying economic as usual; the rest of the company had started to do that more following her example. She was 30 minutes out when the word came.

"Spectre Lead, we left one behind."

Scooter groaned. "EVERYONE report fuel status."

As usual Liz had the most; but she would not make it back to the base if she went.

"Scooter I can get there if he is around; but I cannot make it back. Can they bring some out and I get there?"

Some quick talking found that they could get it done. They could get B company, who had been back at base, to come out to cover.

The Newby finally got out of the house, a little dazed but alert enough to manage to dodge the few people still around. He got past the edge of the village and keeping cover as much as possible headed towards base. His small radio only had a 5 mile range.

Liz had headed back and flew as cheap as possible; Ted grumbling about this getting real old.

"Ted, tune your com band to the hand held frequency. I hope he is transmitting."

"Yeah. Not like we can go down and go house to house."

Back at Bagram a scramble was going on. In record time a fuel bladder was filled and loaded on a Blackhawk with a hand pump. B company was scrambling a platoon. Spec Ops command was already warming up his tonsils to chew out whoever had messed up by not counting noses going out.

Liz took a deep breath; she prayed he was alive and able to communicate.

The Newby had managed to get away from the village; he was going down a mountain path that gave him cover; it did not appear to be used much. He knew they would come back for him but he needed to be free for that to do him any good. He kept plugging along. His head was killing him but he did not dare take anything for it.

With only about 50 minutes left of fuel Liz was getting near the site.

"Ted try his frequency."

"Doberman to lost pup. Do you read?"

Newby had stopped to rest; then he heard it.

"Doberman to lost pup. Do you read."

He fumbled then looked around and spoke as soft as he could.

"Lost pup to Doberman. NW of target."

Liz smiled. "Can you hear us?"

He listened; he could.

"10-4 about 185 degrees from my location."

Liz looked at the map then at the ground. Not a great area to land but she would get close.

Newby looked and saw what looked like a fairly flat spot.

"Doberman, am throwing smoke."

Ted was looking hard. "There. Lost pup I see red smoke."

"I am right there – flat spot next to it."

"2 mikes."

Liz set it down; it seemed solid and level enough. She immediately opened the hatch and saw the figure stumbling toward the chopper.

Newby was just able to get to the chopper and the hatch opened and a VERY small figure got out.

"Get in, grab this handle, get up, come on."

Liz almost had to load him like a sack of potatoes; the blood on his head indicated head injury and the way he was barely moving was not good. She got him into the seat and climbed in.

"GO ted!"

He took off before she got the hatch secured. She was sitting on his la. She managed to turn and start checking him out, it was not easy. Between the two of them it was a tight fit.

Ted was looking at the gauges; 40 minutes left give or take. They would at best make it half way.

"Doberman to control. Have him. Has head injury; barely conscious. 40 minutes Bingo."

"Control to Doberman; relief in route."

"Doberman this is Phoenix Flight. We have juice and gourd cracker. What is your position?"

"Coordinates as follows…40 minutes Bingo."

Ellen was in the cockpit of the lead Hawk; Vicki was in the rear. She quickly looked at the map; figuring the most economical speed of the Apache which Liz had told her some time ago.

"Doberman we will go to coordinates- you should make that."

Liz did some figuring.

"10-4 Phoenix."

"Ted keep it at 115. Heading 145. Keep us at this altitude and start dropping 5 mikes out. We should make it."

Newby was almost unconscious and Liz kept trying to keep him awake.

30 minutes later Ted sighted the 2 Blackhawks landing; then the B company Apache's which quickly took station.

"Doberman, this is Bearcat Lead. Nothing in sight and we will be waiting."

"10-4 Bearcat Lead."

Ted brought it down smoothly; the fuel warning buzzer in his ear. He got it as close as he could to the Blackhawk who already had the fuel hose out. He got close enough for the fuel hose to reach. He sat it down and opened his hatch pointing at the auxiliary tank; the Tech nodded and pulled off the cap and put the nozzle in and signaled to the Blackhawk to the figure in the hatch who began to crank the pump. He waited until he saw the fuel pressure drop and switched from internal main to Right auxiliary 1. The engines kept going so he felt a great feeling of relief go through him.

Meanwhile Liz had gotten her hatch open as the medics got to them; She quickly hopped out and they started to manhandle the trooper out of the cockpit. One of the medics pulled her aside.

"How bad?"

"He was not fully conscious for the last 15 minutes- it was all I could do to keep him that way. He was stumbling when he got to the chopper."

She then stepped back and went to the other side where they were pumping fuel into the auxiliary tank. She headed to the Blackhawk with the fuel and went to the cockpit. Ellen gave her the high sign. She watched for a minute as the tech was working the hand pump; he was relieved and another ground away. Liz added up the numbers. That pump maxed out at around 10 gallons a minute. She needed 45 minutes to get in with a decent safety margin. She went up to the tech that was resting.

"100 gallons" she shouted into his ear. He nodded. She went back- they had gotten the newby to the Blackhawk and were strapping him down. She waved to Vicki in the cockpit and headed back to her bird.

Liz got back into the cockpit and closed the hatch.

"They will put in 100 gallons."

"That should be plenty."

Finally the tech pulled out the nozzle and put on the cap and waved to the Cockpit and Ted waved back.

"Ted, take us home."

"Right Liz."

Liz was at dinner that night when Griffith came by the table she was sharing with the Crew.

"He is going to be allright. Bad concussion but that is all."

The Special Operations Commander, Afghanistan, looked at his XO.

"This is getting ridiculous. Why don't we just sign over the keys to the building to her?"

His XO grinned. "The debt is getting pretty massive sir."

"Are we ready?"

"Yes sir. Weather thinks it will be too windy to fly tomorrow and probably the next day. Good time for a party."

Meanwhile Newby had woken up in the hospital and was getting lots of grief from the others.

"You mean to tell me you sat there with the cutest pilot around on your lap and you don't remember anything? That is pretty sad man."

Not long after Liz came by.

Newby was still a little woozy.

"Wow. They got cute doctors here."

His other visitors busted a gut laughing.

The Team Captain took the opportunity.

"Captain Parker, it seems stupid to keep thanking you for pulling our grits out of the fire, so we would like to thank you properly. Forecast says that it will be unflyable tomorrow and probably the next day. So could you come by the compound tonight at 1900?"

"I will check with my CO and I will bring my boyfriend just in case some of you snake eaters get fresh?"

"Would we do that?"

Sounds of a raspberry being blown.

Liz and Max arrived at the Spec Ops compound and were greeted by the Captain. He took them into one of the larger buildings; it was dark and then the lights came on.

Across the middle of the room:

"Thanks from Special Operations Command"

And the banner had over a hundred signatures on it.

The night got fairly rowdy but Liz could not remember the last time she had laughed as much.

Someone had done a drawing that was actually very well done.

It showed about 40 Special Ops soldiers being carried by very tiny person; they were all piled up. Under it was the caption:

"White Woman's Burden"

Liz met every trooper that that had been involved in the three operations that she had had such a special part in. Finally towards the end while a good number of the troopers were fully gassed, the door opened and the General Commanding Special Operations in Afghanistan came in. The room quieted a little then a lot when he held up his hand.

"This will only take a minute then you can all go back to getting drunk." That got a very good cheer.

He walked up to where Liz and Max were sitting and Liz got up. Suddenly she noticed it was fully quiet.

"Captain Parker. This is a tradition that goes back to the Founding of Special Forces. Whenever someone not in puts himself or herself way out there and really makes a difference, we do this."

He then pulled out a brand new Green Beret and placed it on Liz's head. And the troopers raised the roof.

As September turned into October the pace of missions began to finally wind down. The weather worse and both sides tended to stay in more. Liz looked at the calendar and realized that they had only 5 months of missions to go before they began to pack up and go home. Liz sighed. It was still a long ways off. She was tired a lot anymore. So was everyone else. It had been grueling over the last 4 months.

Max looked over the paper work; he was going to give the company 90 days' notice that he was leaving. He planned to be out officially on 1 March, 2009. Liz would be leaving country right about then. Working the contacts he had made over the last few years he had found a job with another contractor that serviced the Larger fixed wing aircraft at Campbell. It was not that great of a job but it allowed him to work on Campbell. So he could be with Liz full time. He had been talking to a friend of his and a certain package was on its way. He intended giving Liz a real great Christmas gift. He no longer had any doubts at all.

There had been a ceremony held two weeks after the party.

Ted Dugan had been stunned to get an Air Medal. Liz had pushed for that. Then Liz was really stunned when she was awarded the Legion of Merit for continued above and beyond duty actions supporting the Army Special Forces.

The Congressman looked at his aide. "As I recall, the Legion of Merit also has promotion value as well?"

"Yes sir."

October left and November came and it began to get cold. The good news was that combat also began to really cool off. Multi mission days were virtually gone; and days began to string together that they had no missions at all. Which was really nice; they began to reach the point where they could do other things then just sleep every chance they got.

But just as it seemed things were getting quiet for the winter, the Taliban decided to try and get some strikes in. Well aware of the media's seeming ability to forget past crimes for some if the proper situations are generated, they worked to try and make it appear as if they were misunderstood. They began to spend money and buy necessities for villagers that had been impoverished by the war. Carefully cultivating notoriously liberal European media types that had despised the US for many years, they began to try and show that much of their reputation was due to the US and its puppets. Now anyone with any intelligence would look at the past record of the Taliban; and even the immediate one, and laugh at the thought that anyone would buy it. But some did.

The PR Officer shook his head. "Sir, Washington should ignore them."

The Brigade Commander nodded. "They should and normally they would. But remember we have a new administration coming in. And as usual some are already trying to curry favor. It's clear that the incoming administration will be trying to cultivate the more liberal Europeans. And that is how you get this."

"THIS" was a directive to take some of the liberal European media into the villages of Afghanistan and question them about who were the real bad guys. Which meant that the Afghan military and security forces would be responsible, by the request of the media themselves. They wanted no US or British involvement. Frankly the Aviation Brigade Commander would be happy to oblige. But a further directive was that the Aviation Brigade would be available in support. The Message clearly was that they needed to be nearby to help. The Commander wondered why they thought they would need help? The Taliban would be putting on a show and they certainly would be on their best behavior.

"So there it is. The crazy far left wacko journalists will be going to several known Taliban villages to interview the people. The Afghans will be responsible for their security. NONE of the coalition are supposed to be there; no NATO involvement at all. BUT we are expected to be Nearby to help if needed; naturally unseen otherwise. It's a goat rope people. If you needed to be told."

It was tentatively scheduled for the first week in January, just under two months off.

"Well maybe this whole thing will fall apart in a huge mess of hypocrisy."

Was Jesse's rather blunt summation.

Meanwhile Max had been making preparations. He had enlisted the Crew and Ted and even her Company CO. All to maneuver Liz to where he wanted her at the right moment.

So on Dec 24, 2008, Liz was expecting to see Max for Christmas Eve. And then on Christmas Day. She was not expecting to be called to operations at 1800, especially as the weather was not good at all. She went into the office and found the lights on but no one there. Wondering what was going on she ran into Ted.

"It's a standard Cluster, Liz. You need to see Grunt in the hanger."

He then quickly moved off leaving Liz even more in the Dark. She left ops and grabbed a ride over to the hanger. She did not wonder why someone just happened by. The lights were on and she headed over to where her Apache was. Inside the bubble she saw that the Co Pilot Hatch was open. So she went around to the entranceway and headed to the front of the bird. She saw someone sitting in the copilot seat and figured it was grunt.

"What is going on…" when she realized it was not Grunt. It was Max. Who then reached over and picked her right up and sat down with her on his lap and proceeded to kiss the daylights out of her. When she recovered she managed to say "Max what is.." and he kissed her again. Then he took her face in both hands and said.

"Liz Parker I love you."

Liz glowed. "I love you Max Evans."

"Good. Then will you wear this?"

And produced a gorgeous diamond engagement ring. Liz gasped as he placed it on her finger.

"Will you marry me Liz?"

No one outside of that cockpit would have otherwise heard her soft "Oh, Yes."

That was the best Christmas Liz had ever had.

Two weeks later despite everyone's hopes, the Press Junket to the two villages was begun.

4 Blackhawks from 6 Battalion and Liz's platoon were going to trade off with an equal group composed of the other platoon of A company and 4 more Blackhawks from 6 Battalion. They had established a fueling point about 30 miles from the two villages, watched over by Special Ops. They started out at 0900 and would stay on duty until the Press left.

Liz was not happy with the situation; they would be running the helicopters all day. Continually refueling them. But theirs was not to reason why.

Meanwhile in the First Village the situation was tense because the Afghan security forces were from a different tribe than the village was and they had been enemies off and on over the years. The Press was not happy as instead of smiling faces they got sullen looks. The Taliban reps were assured of safe conduct by the Afghan Government but they acted very jumpy and very unfriendly. So after only an hour they headed to the next village, driving down the road.

Liz had switched off with 2nd Platoon and were getting refueled for the first time when they heard that the Press had already moved to the second village. Hopeful looks came as they started to maybe think that this would not be an all day event.

The Second village was an hour away by road; but there was a small landslide that took time to clear by hand. It took three hours and it was 1400 when they got to village number two. Once again the Press was not happy; and being a typically spoiled media mess proceeded to proclaim to one and all that this whole trip was a joke. Which of course just about everyone on both sides had known all the time. However the village people did not appreciate it. The Taliban had brought only a few people in; they had been smart enough to make sure that it would not look like they had no one but fighters there. So the villagers began to berate the Press as typical foreigners too dumb to get out of the sun on a summer day. The Taliban reps began to realize that this was turning into a PR fiasco for them.

Aliya was far too typical – her parents had been killed in fighting a year ago. Most of her relatives were dead; all of her close ones anyway. She was only 9 years old and thin. She was staying with an elderly aunt who was dying. She did not know where she was going to go next. She was very quiet but very sweet; so she poked her head out when the strangers came by. Now one thing all mediots know is that a young girl just about always makes the best photo op. So in no time at all they were all taking their pictures with her. Even the dumb ones noticed that none of the villagers seemed happy about it. One of them asked an interpreter and was told she was not from this village and barely a member of this tribe. Realizing this was making things worse the Taliban rep had the girl removed; his final stupid mistake. Even the dumb media figured out this was not good for the little girl and wanted to know what was going to happen to her. The Taliban rep told them it was none of their business and the press junket was over. That went over real well naturally. The Afghan Security people then told the media it was time to go. They grumbled but left, clearly not happy but none of them seemed to really care about the girl.

However there were some there who were worried; the interpreters. They had a very bad feeling what was going to happen to her. One of them quietly went to the communications vehicle and called the Coalition rep.

Aliya had been dragged to the far end of the village and locked in a shed. One of the interpreters had carefully followed and noted where.

Liz was just refueled and ready to get into the air again; it was almost 5 and only half an hour or so of light was left. Then they got the word about the little girl. The question was what could they do. Liz had a very bad feeling. She went over to where the lead Blackhawk was sitting and talked to the pilot, who was with some of the Special Ops people.

"Wanna go visit that village?" The pilot grinned and nodded. Several of the Special Ops climbed into the ship. Liz went to her bird and started it up. She told Ted

"We are going to that village and get that little girl."

"I heard that."

Everyone had left the village; the interpreters had no choice. But by chance the road leaving was up hill and about half a mile up the road was a place where one could observe the village. The interpreters stopped and got out binoculars. One of the camera crews noticed and stopped as well. They asked what was going on and were told about the little girl. It was still light; so they got their cameras with the zoom lens and set it up. And started filming.

Halfway to the village the Blackhawk called Liz. They had an engine warning light and rising temps so they would have to go back.

Liz chewed her lip but decided to carry on. All the other Birds were returning to base.

"Doberman to Whistle, take the others back. We will hang for a while."

"10-4"

Liz then tried to contact the interpreters and were able to get them.

"This is Spectre lead what is the situation?"

Just as Liz got to within 5 miles the interpreters saw the Taliban rep head to that she and pull the little girl out and hit her, knocking her down on the ground. The Film crew cursed but kept filming.

"Hurry! They are hitting the little girl!"

Liz growled deep in her throat, sounding amazingly like her call sign. Ted felt the hair on the back of his neck go up.

The Taliban rep then kicked the girl and pulled out a pistol and fired one shot at her and hit her; the camera clearly saw that.

Liz was now within half a mile and everyone heard the sound of the Apache. Liz had her gunsight focused where the interpreters had told her it was happening. She saw the flash and gritted her teeth. Rage as she had never felt before coursed through her veins; she was no longer Liz Parker; she was now both Nemesis and Artemis. She put the cross hairs on that piece of shit and fired one round.

The interpreters were crying as the little girl was shot and then the Taliban rep seemed to explode into pieces. The others were knocked down. Then they got up and ran.

There was just enough room. Liz put the Apache down right in the middle of the road; she had her hatch open and was out like a shot and got to the little girl. She had been hit in the stomach and was badly bleeding. Liz picked her up and ran to her chopper.

Those on the hill were entranced as the Deadly Apache landed; and a small figure got out and ran to the little girl; picked her up and carried her and put her in; climbed in and the ship took off.

"Ted she is bleeding badly. Redline her."

"Gotcha Liz."

Liz held the little girl and kept pressure on the wound and prayed.

Aliya had been cold; now it was noisy and it seemed warmer, she felt someone holding her and pressed her face into the warm person that she could feel.

An Apache can do about 180 mph full out; Ted got her to 185.

Liz made the call. "Doberman to Control; I need clearance to Medcenter; I have a badly wounded little girl about 8 years old."

"Control to Doberman, you are cleared; med team waiting."

Liz had never prayed harder in her life. The 20 minutes it took to get there seemed forever. Ted brought her in at a swoop and dropped her right outside the doors where a crew and gurney came right out ignoring the rotor blast. Liz got out as she handed the girl and told Ted to take her in.

Meanwhile the camera crew had called for a flight out so that they could get the film to the network. Ellen had not yet landed on another late afternoon op and volunteered to go and found a place not far away from them; Bearcats provided cover; they lifted off just as dusk fell.

Liz sat there in the waiting room right outside the emergency room where they were working on the little girl. An interpreter was beside her from the hospital trying to get information. Liz knew little; she had gradually picked up a smattering of the language (she was to find that she knew more than she realized) but she could not tell him much. About an hour later more people showed up escorted by Spec Ops. The officer she knew pretty well came up to her.

"Captain Parker, this is the interpreter that called you."

Liz stood up and shook his hand.

"Please, how is she?"

"I do not know she has been in there for an hour."

The film was going up the ladder already but the camera crew had gotten to the hospital and came in the door. They saw Liz talking to the interpreter; she had blood on the front of her uniform so they knew who she was – and they remembered that the pilot of that Apache had been very small. So they put two and two together and started to film her. Just then the doors to the emergency room opened and a doctor in scrubs came out. Liz went right to him.

"How is she?"

"It was close but she will live."

Liz closed her eyes and bowed her head then opened them and looked at the doctor.

"Thank you so much." He noticed the blood.

"Is that from the little girl?"

"Yes."

"She lost a lot but you keeping pressure on it probably made the difference. She should be waking up in a few hours."

"I am Captain Parker of Company A of the 1st Battalion 101st aviation. Please contact me when she starts to wake up, no matter when. I want to be there for her."

"I will do that Captain."

She turned to the interpreter who was smiling.

"You did a wonderful thing."

"I only called you. You are the one that saved her life and punished that animal that shot her."

Liz blushed. "Thank you. Now I have to go back to operations and start filling out paperwork."

She nodded to the Spec Ops guys who formed a ring around her and escorted her out of the building, giving her a ride to Ops.

Once arriving in the office Griffith was waiting for her.

"We are going to the Generals office right now. This is going to be big."

"Big?"

"Liz, they caught it all on film. That POS hitting the girl, then kicking her, then shooting her, then you blowing him away, landing your Apache right in the middle of town, taking that girl and sweeping her away. This is going to be HUMONGOUS."

"oh."

The General was on the phone with DC.

"No Sir I have not yet seen the film. It should be hitting the network in the next hour or so. I agree; the Taliban just crapped on itself in front of the whole world. We need to play this to the limit. Captain Parker will be here shortly and I can get it all. Yes sir I will let you know as soon as I know."

He looked at his XO. "We have to handle this just right. No embellishment; just let that film speak for itself. Parker is very good at speaking to people; I think we need to let her just be herself."

"CENTCOM will be waiting?"

"The President is waiting; CENTCOM is just the messenger boy."

Not long after Liz came in the door. Both officers were shocked at the amount of blood on the front of her uniform.

"Captain, that is all that Little Girls?"

"Yes sir."

"And she will make it?"

"That is what the doctor said about 15 minutes ago."

"Good. Now tell me everything."

An hour later Liz headed back to the barracks – the General had told her to NOT have that uniform cleaned. They might need it to make a point. She managed to get into the Room where the Crew was waiting; as was Max.

Max grabbed her and laid a huge one on her that she returned with interest. They all exclaimed at the blood. She then quickly changed after the girls shooed Max out and the Major dragged him down the hall and told him to come back the next morning.

Liz took a quick shower and changed to a fresh uniform.

The Crew wanted details.

"Guys, you know what happened."

There was a shout from outside the door.

"Liz, it's going to come on CNN in moment!"

Liz managed to get her pants and shirt on and was barefoot when they gathered in the main room to watch.

"I want to warn our viewers that what you are about to see is unedited and live from Afghanistan. This footage was taken just hours ago. An example of the brutality of the Taliban towards women; and in this case a young 8 year old girl. Once again we warn you this will be graphic.

In a rare moment of insight, the late night anchor let the film speak for itself in all its awful clarity.

Millions saw the bearded, robed figure grab the little girl and strike her, knocking her down. He then kicked her. Shouting things at her while she cowered. Then he pulled out a pistol, shouting more at her. Then he pointed at her and fired. You could actually see the impact of the bullet on the small body. A second later as he appeared to be ready to fire again his body exploded. The pictured jerked as the camera showed in the still fairly bright sky an Apache swoop down and land; a small figure get out and grab the little girl and put her in, then close the hatch and the Helicopter took off and headed off very fast.

We have not yet confirmed the identity of the Pilot, but there is only one female pilot flying apache's in Afghanistan. That would be Captain Elizabeth Parker of Company A, 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation brigade. And while the camera was not close enough for positive Identification, it seems a safe bet that that small figure was indeed the rather petite Captain Parker. Small in size perhaps; but huge in heart."

Liz blinked. It was so bizarre seeing yourself that way. Suddenly she was aware of silence. She looked away from the TV and saw everyone in the building standing at attention and saluting her. Slowly she returned the salute. And then one by one they came up and hugged her and shook her hand. It was a silent and very moving experience for Liz Parker.

They went back to their room and Liz sat on her bunk. The others sat down and were very quiet. Finally Jesse looked at her.

"Liz, if you have not figured it out by now, your life is about to change again. This will go all over the world. In a weeks time there might not be more than 10% of the population of the world who will either not have seen it; or not have heard about it. You are going to be as famous as or more famous than any pop star or movie star. From this point on that will be how people remember Elizabeth Parker. Till the day you die and they will show this again. Liz, you are immortal."

Liz stared at her; her face slowly whitening. "Oh. My. God."

The General turned away from the TV screen and looked at the gathered officers.

"I cannot imagine any scene needing fewer words to describe."

No one said a word.

The Command phone buzzed and he picked it up. He straightened up. "Yes Mr. President I have seen it. I guess everyone who is up has seen it. Sir I can have her on the phone in half an hour. Oh. Of Course. I will see to it. Yes sir she is a fine officer; I can truthfully say I have none better. Yes sir. Goodnight sir."

He set the phone down and looked at his officers. "He wants her to get a good nights sleep. Will have her call him tomorrow morning our time."

Nancy Parker slowly picked up the phone. "Yes?"

"Nancy its Ted. You need to turn on CNN as soon as you can. Liz just did something big again. Only this time its HUGE."

Three seniors at the University of Georgia were watching TV. Just like many others around the world. They looked at each other and found for once they had nothing to say.

A couple of commentators on Fox News:

"It is remarkable how that young woman has managed to do so many extraordinary things in such a short time."

"It's been an argument historians have had for a long time. Do great times make great people or do great people make great times. With Elizabeth Parker, I tend to lean to the latter."

A congressman had been awakened and had turned on his tv. He sat there and felt for one of the few times in his life, awed.

Front page news. Total network coverage. It was everywhere.

In Bagram Airbase in a barracks a young woman slept. Her door was guarded by her friends; the barracks itself had a guard of Special Forces. Had anyone tried to force admittance their wrath would have been terrible.

In a hanger a ground crew was carefully cleaning the cockpit of an AH-64D Apache Attack Helicopter. They were also quietly wiping down the entire aircraft. Helped by twenty others.

A civilian contractor sat watching TV, thinking about that young woman sleeping not too far from him.

In Columbus Ohio a middle aged woman was held by her somewhat older male friend; who had quietly asked her to marry him just a few weeks ago; they sat and watched the news. She marveled at the young woman she had bourn and brought up.

All around the world, millions of people were talking to each other about what they had seen. There are common concepts of what heroes are; firemen running into flaming buildings and bringing people out; brave souls confronting tyrants with nothing but their bodies and their words. But very few argued with the idea that that young woman who had both saved that little girl and executed that foul man who had shot her was a hero too.

And all over the world young women saw what that young woman had done and asked themselves: if she did that, what can I do?

Liz woke up and stretched; then looked at the clock and opened her eyes wide in shock. She looked frantically around her room and spied Ellen sitting on her bunk reading a book.

"Ellen! Why did you let me sleep! I am late for formation!"

"No you are not. You are excused from duty. And since I won the short straw contest so am I. One of us will stay with you. Orders from the Commanding General."

Liz stared. With her mouth wide open.

"Catching flies?"

Her mouth closed with an audible click.

"Heroes rate some special treatment and you are a hero. Get used to it."

Liz nodded and then got up and got dressed. She looked at Ellen. "So if you are my keeper where is my next performance?"

Ellen grinned evilly. "Interesting that you used that word…"

Liz went to the mess hall with Ellen to eat; she grabbed something and headed to a far corner.

"I hope people stop staring."

"Get used to it. Remember what I said last night?"

"I am so screwed."

Suddenly Liz looked at Ellen. "The Girl?"

"She has not yet waked up; I checked. She was pretty malnourished. The Doctor was a little worried but thinks she will be fine."

She looked up as several Spec Ops troopers came up to her.

"Captain, we are your detail for the time being."

"Detail?"

"Commanding General's orders. You will have a detail until further notice. We were guarding the barracks last night."

Dumbly Liz nodded. She quickly finished her meal and looked at them and Ellen. "First things first. Hospital."

Feeling a little ridiculous being surrounded she went outside to find a Hummer with a guard on it that gave her a rigid salute that she returned. Another Hummer pulled up and the Troopers got into it to follow them to the Hospital. There she went right in and spoke to the nurse up front.

"I need to see that little girl. Now."

The Nurse looked at the grim troopers behind her and nodded. She directed them to ICU where she still was.

Liz got to the front station and asked if she could see her. At that moment the Doctor arrived and took her with them; telling her escort to wait. The little girl was hooked up to all sorts of machines but the heart monitor showed a steady beat. Liz moved closer. She was so young and helpless. She could see a big bruise on the side of her face. She gently stoked the other side and the little girl moved slightly, murmuring. Liz remembered some of the language she knew and softly cooed gentle words to the young girl. Liz looked for a chair and pulled it up and sat there stroking her cheek. Then she reached for a small hand and clasped it. She was surprised when the pressure was returned. She looked up at the doctor.

"She squeezed my hand."

He quickly began to check her vitals. As hee pulled up an eyelid, the eye blinked. She was awake. Liz got up and placed her hand on her cheek and crooned soft words to her.

Aliya was tired but she felt nicely warm. She blinked at the lights then felt a soft hand on her face. She turned and looked at a young woman who was smiling softly at her; calling her nice things. She remembered this woman; she thought she did. She seemed very nice. She murmured her name when the nice lady asked her.

"Aliya."

Liz stayed a few minutes then the girl went back to sleep. Liz slowly stood up, looking at the girl. Then she looked at the doctor. "Please let me know when she is awake for a longer time." Then Liz took her captains bars off and put the studs back in and placed them on the table next to the bed. "Let her know I will be back. Those are for her to KNOW I will be back."

She went to the front desk and let them know the number she could be reached and then they all trooped out.

She stopped by operations and was told by the Battalion Commander that she was off of flight status for the time being. She scowled at him but he waved his hand.

"This came from WAY up the ladder."

Liz then headed for the HQ building as that was supposedly where she might find some answers. She stopped by her barracks to get a spare set of bars.

In HQ she was taken to a conference room where she was pleased to see that interpreter. She quickly went to talk to him.

"Her name is Aliya. That is all I could get."

He nodded. "I was able to get a little of her story. She was living with an old aunt that died yesterday. I have a feeling that the Taliban killed her too; but she was sick and old so she might have died naturally. More than likely she is an orphan now."

"What will happen to her?"

"It is not good. But considering all that has happened a place for her can be found."

Liz frowned. "There WILL be a place found for her."

She began to think hard on this. Then the general came into the room and they all stood.

He had them all sit down and then looked at Liz.

"Captain, you are off of flight status by order of the President."

Liz's eyes got huge. "The PRESIDENT?"

"Yes. Personally gave me that order last night. That will be an interesting notation in your service record. Very few have the note 'VOP' verbal order Presidential. His reasoning is sound. You have dealt the single greatest blow to the Taliban since October of 2011. Now really it was self-inflicted by that idiot but since you killed him they will want your head on a pike badly. The fact that you are a young woman just makes them that much more rabid. Your combat tour is over."

Liz sat back in shock. "This means my combat career is over period, doesn't it?"

He took a deep breath. "In Afghanistan for certain. In all likelihood it is probably over."

For a long moment Liz just sat there. Then she looked at the general. "With all due respect, sir, then I guess my resignation from the US Army will be on your desk by tomorrow."

The room was totally silent. He looked at her carefully.

"Captain, do not make any hasty decisions."

"Sir, what is the point of my staying in?"

"You could become an instructor. Your record easily qualifies you for that. You could stay at Rucker for several years being one."

"Sir. I am not saying I might have not gone that route some day. But choosing that route and having it forced on me is a whole different story. I will not become a PR mannequin."

He blinked at that. "Well, you will have to make your case with the President. And there will be a new one in less than two weeks. I would suggest you wait and see. You have evaluated your copilot as being qualified for Pilot so he can take your place and there are available copilots. So your unit will not be shorthanded. I would remind you that this is the slow time for combat anyway."

"Very well I will wait and talk to THIS president and the next."

The entire room marveled at her. She was only a captain but she dominated that room.

"Well then I guess it's time I made that call."

His aide spoke into the phone and waited for a minute then handed it to the general.

"Mr President, I think you need to talk to Captain Parker immediately. Since I informed her of you revoking her flight status she has offered her resignation from the US Army. And sir she is very serious about it."

He listened and nodded. He then gestured to her and she walked around the table to take the phone, knees slightly shaking.

"Mr President this is Captain Parker. Thank you sir. I could not have lived with myself if I had done anything different sir. She will be ok; I spoke to her this morning. Her name is Aliya and it seems she is now an orphan as her last relative died last night. Yes sir I think it is very suspicious. Sir I am very serious. I will not be used for PR. If I cannot fly then I see no reason to remain in the service. I understand the concerns and reasons sir but when do we allow our enemies to dictate how we will fight them? Yes sir. Thank you sir. Well my copilot is fully qualified to pilot and I have notated that in my evaluation. Sir you were a pilot so you know the road. We have technically 2 more months of our tour but realistically we will have only about 4 weeks of combat left; our replacements have just arrived and it will take them that long to reach flight status. Yes sir. Very well sir. Thank you and goodbye Mr President. I will give the General the phone sir."

She handed it back to the general and resumed her seat. She looked around and blinked at the looks she was getting.

"What?"

The Brigade Commander shook his head.

"Captain you just argued with a major general and then with the President of the United States whom you just told off. I think we all knew you had serious cojones but this is ridiculous. I am beginning to think your call sign of Doberman is grossly inadequate."

The General hung up the phone and looked at her bemused.

"The President has acceded to your – I guess one could call it demand- and your flight status is returned. But I am told that it is strongly recommended that you do not fly combat for the rest of your tour. If your Copilot is qualified it's time to find out."

Liz considered that. "He does deserve his chance."

"Well now that that is settled, it is time to consider how to handle the increasing hordes of Media that is descending on us. Captain Parker, you do realize you will have to face them sooner or later?"

"Yes sir. I would rather see combat."

"Well that is understandable."

The President sat back, bemused. With all the problems with the bank and the economy suddenly the wars had just taken front stage again. Well one war anyway. He marveled at that young woman he had just talked to. Sighing, he realized one huge negative about leaving office; he would no longer be Commander in Chief of those such as her.

The meeting became about the press conference. The Taliban, beginning to realize just how serious this mess for it was, had reacted as usual; claiming it was all made up. Which for them was even dumber than normal. The PR officer was in constant contact with the Pentagon as they tried to figure out the best way to play the whole situation.

An urgent meeting of the Presidents top NS advisors and team was quickly called; the conclusion was to let the film speak for itself; say as little as possible. The Secretary of State felt that they did need to keep up the pressure; to not let anyone divert the attention from that brutal atrocity. The President then looked at her.

"Talking to Captain Parker, she said that the girls only remaining relative died suddenly last night. I think we can all figure out what happened there; but now from what we know and is probably correct, she is an orphan. We need to be very sure she is protected and taken care of."

SECSTATE pondered that. "Mr President, the brutal facts are that she will NOT be safe in Afghanistan. The Taliban and its sympathizers, and our enemies, will target her. At the same time if we take her out of there, that embarrasses the Afghan government which is bad."

SECDEF mused. "We could take her to Germany and say she requires better care. From there we could arrange something."

SECSTATE shook her head. "That would only last a little while; just delaying things. This little girl will be famous. We cannot hide her."

It was finally agreed that for the time being to keep her there; and to try and figure something out later to protect her.

Liz was slowly realizing that what Jesse had said was true; her life would be different from now on. Or at least the foreseeable future.

The nine hour time differential between Bagram and DC made things more difficult as far as trying to determine when to schedule the press conference. It was only three hours for most of Europe. Finally it was decided to go with 2PM EST which was 8PM for most of Europe and 11PM at Bagram.

The Commanding General would chair it; he would give a statement then show the film again then take a few questions then Liz would be on.

Liz was in BDU's this time which made her feel better. She was still very nervous. But she remembered visiting Aliya at the hospital.

Aliya had woken up early that afternoon, feeling much better. She was still on pain medication but not as groggy. The nurse who was sitting beside her bed had a good command of Afghan and was able to talk to her. She had given Aliya the Captain Bars and Liz's message to her. Aliya fingered the shiny thing and thought about that young woman. She was very nice.

Liz had been alerted and had gone right over; her detail still around. She walked into the room where Aliya was and saw that she was awake, if looking a little out of it due to the pain meds. She took the nurses place, who moved towards the door until Liz stopped her.

"Is there an interpreter handy?"

"I will get one quickly."

Liz took the girls hand and with her other hand stroked her cheek. She looked much better even if the bruise on her face did not. She was very thin and clearly needed building up. She had a strong but pretty face and beautiful blue eyes. Liz dredged up the Afghan she knew and quietly told her that she would be ok.

Aliya looked at the young woman; she was very nice. She even knew a little of her language; Aliya only knew a few words on English. She managed to tell her that she wanted to know the young woman's name.

"Elizabeth." "Liz."

Aliya tried them out; the first was too hard but she did pretty well on the second. "Liz." The young woman smiled brightly.

Then the interpreter came in; Liz was happy to see that she was a local woman. She then told her that she wanted to know if Aliya had any family. The interpreter talked to her for a moment and then looked at Liz. "None other than that aunt; she does not know she is dead."

Liz took a deep breath. "Tell her. And tell her she will be taken care of; I promise that."

Aliya closed her eyes for a moment when told of Her Aunt's death. They had not been close but she had been family. Now no more family. She opened them and looked at the young woman who held her hand; and was stroking her cheek. She had promised to take care of her. Maybe she would. She felt sleep coming.

Liz could see she was tiring. "Tell her to sleep; I will be back."

Liz waited until she was asleep before leaving. She went back to the Barracks; she had about an hour to go before the press conference. Instead of thinking about that she thought about Aliya. An idea was coming to her. She called Max.

Max sat there thinking after Liz hung up. Wow.

The General began the press conference.

"Good afternoon. Yesterday there was an example of why the Taliban and all those that believe as they do cannot be considered a civilized people. In the Village of Pashir, in this province, the Taliban, in a village of their own, showed what they truly are. This is not an isolated example; there are hundreds that have been documented over the years. This one was caught on film. The girl, whose name is Aliya, had lost her parents last year in the fighting. She was staying with her last relative, an older Aunt that reportedly died last night. I will say no more as you have seen the film; but here it is again. But first this film clip of a few hours earlier when she was shown with members of the press Junket that went to that village. Then the other film clip will follow."

It was shown. Even those that had seen it before were enraged. Then felt uplifted at what happened next. The General let the clips finish.

"She is now recovering at the hospital here on base. Her doctor has indicated she should recover fully. He will be available for questions. Now for questions."

"General, you called the Taliban uncivilized. IS that not intolerant of another culture?"

"No culture that enslaves young women and girls and treats them as property deserves tolerance."

"General, what will happen to the young girl?"

"That is not a subject that will be discussed at this time. She will be in that hospital recovering for many weeks."

"General, it seems that Captain Parker gets involved in more than her share of extraordinary situations."

"Extraordinary people tend to do that."

He then held up his hand. "Now Captain Parker will answer some questions."

Liz took a deep breath and came out and marched towards the Podium that the General had left. The flashes from cameras was almost blinding. All present were once again stunned at how physically small she was. Liz stood for a moment calmly (at least outwardly). She stood with her arms behind her back looking out over them. She then looked at one reporter and nodded. All present were very impressed by her almost regal bearing.

"Captain Parker. Why were you already moving towards the Village before told about the little girl?"

Interesting; that is someone who has done some digging.

"We were on alert just as a contingency force. We were informed that the little girl had been seized and roughly taken away and locked in a shed. I was on the ground at the refueling point about 30 miles away. I was well aware of the past record of the Taliban as regards women and young girls. She had been shown having pictures taken with Westerners. That usually ends very badly for that girl or woman. I talked to some Special Forces personnel who were at the point. I asked them to come with me; we were going to take that little girl away from that village. They agreed. Unfortunately on the way the helicopter developed engine trouble and had to turn back. I decided to press on; my copilot agreed. I reached the village just as that young girl was being beaten and kicked. Then shot. I then took action."

It seemed like everyone was holding their breath after that quiet statement. She nodded to another reporter who had stood up.

"Captain Parker, you took this action on your own without discussion with any higher authority?"

"I did. And I would do it again."

She nodded to another.

"Captain Parker, were you not worried about causing an incident by going to that village in force?"

"That little girl was more important than what anyone else would say or do later."

The reporters all looked at each other. Her calm quiet dignity was very intimidating. She nodded at another.

"Captain Parker, were you not worried about your career?"

"One has to be able to live with oneself first."

"Do you think your career will suffer?"

"I was grounded by order of the President. He was concerned that I would become a target. I then offered my resignation from the US Army."

That caused a stir. She nodded to another.

"Why would you resign?"

"If I cannot fly I do not wish to remain in the military. Combat is part of that duty. If in the future I took a ground position that is one thing; or assigned to one under normal conditions that would be another. But this would be to put me in a position that not due to ability or any other reason, just basically for appearances, that I could not continence. IF an officer truly disagrees with policy or decisions, then the only honorable course of action for that officer is to resign. The President then reconsidered. At this moment I am back on flight duty status."

The PR officer then moved forward at a nudge from the General.

"That concludes this press briefing." Liz wasted no time and left the podium and was out of the room quickly. She went right into a restroom and stood at the sink, shaking quietly. She ran cold water and rubbed some on her face. Taking deep breaths.

After a minute or two she left the room. Outside her detail was waiting as was the PR officer. He looked at her and shook his head.

"You really do do what you think is right and damn the consequences?"

Liz looked at him. "Yes."

He sighed. "Well that will certainly stir things up even more. You do know that you basically admitted to bullying the President of the United States, your Commander in Chief?"

She cocked her head. "So?"

"Are you really that willing to throw everything away? Resign like that?"

"Yes. If that is what you believe, then you have no choice."

She looked at her detail. Then at the PR Officer. "How long are they stuck babysitting me?"

"Until further notice."

Liz sighed. "Very well. Come on guys, I am heading back to the hospital to talk with Aliya."

Aliya was awake and more alert, Liz saw. There were also a large amount of flowers present. That was surprising; they were not exactly easy to come by at this time of year. The Nurse who was sitting with her smiled at Liz's expression.

"They started coming in right after you left. More coming all the time. We started putting them in other rooms to cheer people up."

Liz nodded and smiled at Aliya. She smiled back shyly. Liz asked the nurse to see if the interpreter was free. Liz sat down and reached for Aliya's hand. After a couple of minutes the interpreter came in. Liz looked at her.

"Please ask her if she knows of any family?"

Liz did not need to understand to realize Aliya had none. Her idea was becoming more to the point. Liz then asked her to talk about where she had come from and her life before.

It was not a very nice story. Her life had been hard even before her parents, poor herders, had been killed. It had even gotten tougher in the year since. After a while longer Liz got up and told her that she would be back. She searched out the doctor and asked him how long Aliya would be in the hospital; he said at the minimum another week and probably two.

Liz got back to the barracks and signed on her email; she had a lot of messages. Mostly from her mother and her friends. One from Sergeant Axton. It was short.

"Well done." She smiled at that.

Then she emailed the personal email of the Congressman with an important question. After giving quick responses to the other emails she signed off. Then she called Max. Asked him to come over. She was waiting at the door and pulled him over to the side of the room. Luckily there was no one around at the moment.

"What do you think?"

"Are you sure of this?"

"Yes."

"Well I would like to meet this girl."

"Let's go."

Meanwhile the war continued, though the Taliban was for the moment keeping a very low profile.

As regards Liz's press conference, that indeed stirred things up. She was cheered even more by the great majority for deciding to take action on her own. Women's groups, sensing opportunity, were extravagantly lauding her. And others for her standing up and demanding to return to duty. The incoming president was asked and was very careful to say that she was clearly an outstanding officer and that the Military needed more like her; and that indeed what more needed to be said about the Taliban?

The Congressman noted the email and opened and read it; with his eyes widening all through it. He sat for a moment then began to find out what he needed to know.

Liz smiled at her Detail; she told Max she was stuck with them for the time being and they had better things to do then babysit her. The Detail head shook his head.

"Actually Captain, we had to draw since so many volunteered."

Aliya looked with interest as the nice woman, Liz, came in with a somewhat older man. She saw the way Liz held his hand and the way he looked at Liz and nodded much too wisely for someone of her years. She liked him; he had a kind smile.

Max fell under the spell of Aliya right away. He knew more Afghan than Liz did and they were able to talk some.

The Congressman looked at his aide.

So there are really not many problems on THIS side of the fence?"

"No Sir."

"The other side?"

"Will have to feel them out. But if the president were to make a formal request then I think there would be no problem."

He thought for a minute. "Please contact the SECSTATE and let her know I would like to talk to her."

SECSTATE put the phone down. In one respect a big surprise; but in another it should come as no surprise at all. She figured the president needed to know about this right away. Especially if they wanted this done before he left office.

Liz had left Max talking to Aliya and went back to the Operations building. She still had a lot of paperwork to take care of. There she found that Ted had gotten a copilot and they had gone out on his first mission. She was glad he was getting a chance. But she felt a little lost; she realized that more than likely she would be flying no more missions.

Ted got back just before dark and was enthused; he had not had to fire anything but was juiced. She congratulated him then went looking for Scooter.

"So Scooter do you think you will need me?"

He looked up at her and shook his head.

"Realistically probably not with as quiet as things are right now. NOW if we have a big mission – I might. Leadership in 1st Platoon is not strong right now."

Liz nodded. "If you need me I am there."

He stopped her before she left.

"Liz, you stood real tall. And you really took a stand at that Press conference. I think a whole lot of people would have liked to have stones like you got."

Liz blushed and then left.

The President looked at the SECSTATE. He had asked her to come right over after her phone call. They had talked some more.

"Can we get this done before I leave office?"

"If you act right away sir."

Liz checked her email and saw that she had a reply from the Congressman.

"Working on it. Looks hopeful."

Liz smiled.

The General put down the phone. He sat there and blinked then called in the PR Officer and his XO. When they came in he had them close the door.

"Well I just got off the phone. Something else has been added to this circus."

The next morning they got a quick alert that the Spec Ops wanted to do a mission that might net several higher Taliban officials; apparently a meeting had been called to discuss their current PR nightmare. Worldwide the condemnations were pouring in. They had not had all that much support anyway; mainly consisting of those countries that hated the US. Now even those were starting to back off.

The Battalion commander came into the office of the A company commander accompanied by B and C commanders.

"We got a hot one. The Taliban is calling a hasty meeting. We need to crash that party. Its near Kondoz. We are looking at having a fuel point set up. This is right in the Taliban's back yard and unfortunately no one else is in a position to hit fast. An Air strike is out since they are having this meeting right next to a big school. We have to get our people in with a vertical assault. There is an abandoned soviet airstrip here; we can get C130's in with fuel tonight; and have our choppers go there and refuel then hit it at first light."

Scooter looked at Liz and nodded and she smiled. She went and found Ted.

"Looks like I get one more mission. It's a biggie."

The rest of the day was a scramble to get everything ready for this kind of a mission. They would leave after dark so no one would see what direction they would be going. IT would take them a full hour to get to the airstrip. There they would refuel and try and get some rest; they would take off one hour before dawn.

The entire battalion was going; this was not only a raid it was a show of force. Right in the Taliban's back yard. The 5th Battalion would send 16 Black Hawks; 8 for the mission and 8 as backup. A company would be the close support; B company top cover; with C Company in reserve. The Air Force would be deploying a AWACS and the mission commander would be in that. They would have strike fighters flying high cover. It was emphasized to identify them clearly, but any Taliban forces were to be hit.

Liz managed one more visit with Aliya and all but ordered Max to watch over her. He realized it was a big mission and understood her unspoken message. If the worst happened he would take care of her no matter what. She quickly wrote a letter and left it with Max just in case.

They left at 2000 and headed south until well away from the air base then headed north. They would be cruising at 120 Knots, and it would take them about 90 minutes to get to the air strip.

The operation to take the airstrip went easily; as satellite recon had shown, there was no one there. It had been cleared out several years ago just in case. A Special Forces team parachuted in to make sure there were no mines or anything on the airstrip. They confirmed it was clear and usable and the first C130 landed at 2100. The Choppers got there just a little after 2130. Everyone refueled and sacked out as best they could inside the C130's. Liz and the Crew, the only women on the mission, grabbed a corner and managed to get about 4 hours sleep. Which was better than nothing.

Meanwhile Predators had tracked at least one Taliban leader to the building that they were going to hit.

Everyone was in their choppers and going at 0500. Dawn was 0610 and they were going to hit right then.

A Company was right with the initial attack force; 8 Blackhawks packed with Special Ops. They were flying at about 3000 feet at near top speed. IT had been decided to fly with just on auxiliary fuel tank; the distance from the airstrip to target was only about 50 miles but they wanted a little extra just in case. This also allowed them to go at max speed in and out.

The Predator was on station at 50,000 feet; unseen and unheard. It was lasing the building; the Lead Apache's would home in on that laser strike and guide the Blackhawks in. Both Scooter and Liz would be following the laser.

Liz picked up the laser and called in.

"Doberman to Scooter; I have the beam."

"Scooter to Doberman; my system is out- lead them in."

Liz took a deep breath and concentrated on her instruments that showed where the beam was hitting. She slowed down as per procedure and the Blackhawks closed in tighter to her; she would lead them right to the building. She was still going over 80 knots.

In the lead Chopper Ellen was fixated on Liz's apache. She was maybe 100 feet away.

Liz now had visual on the building and she could see the school right across the street. Thankfully this early there would be no kids there. Liz slowed and stopped 50 feet above the building and right at its edge and the Choppers hovered and the Spec Ops rappelled out and down to the top of the building. So far she could see no resistance.

She moved up to 100 feet and began to circle the building; the other ships of her platoon right with her. A ring of death circling the building.

Down below the people had been awoken by the noise; most cowered and hid. Some did not.

Ken sighted the first resistance. "Hostiles at front- firing."

He hosed several AK-47 armed people who had started shooting. They were swept away.

Liz kept circling and watching; she saw a truck speeding down a street towards them. She put her sight on it and told the others.

"Vehicle. Pulling out; Whistler maintain pattern."

She saw it was a pickup and it had a 12.7MM MG in the back and she did not hesitate. 5 30MM rds blew it up. Now more calls were coming from the other three about resistance but so far nothing serious.

"Scooter to Doberman; more vehicles coming towards you- we will take care of them." He moved off.

"10-4"

Inside the building the Special ops had already penetrated the 2 story building that sprawled over half a block to the ground floor. They had eliminated more than 20 without taking any hits.

The Blackhawks had moved up to 1000 feet waiting for dustoff.

The Taliban leader tried to escape the building and Liz saw him. She took him and his bodyguards out with half a dozen 30MM shots.

The Spec Ops commander had found some files and paperwork and they grabbed them for the intelligence weenies to look at. Then he gave the order.

"Dustoff!"

Liz heard that and ordered the rest of the platoon to look for possible resistance as the Blackhawks began to come down.

The only thing Liz worried about was someone on a roof top with an RPG.

"Doberman to everyone- eyeball rooftops looking for RPG's"

Then leading the way she began to buzz the neighboring rooftops at only 50 feet or so; the blast alone would knock anyone down.

Liz heard a couple of pings and realized someone was tossing what was likely 7.62 at her. She looked around but it was Ted that found him. And took care of him with 1 30MM rd.

"Night Night."

Then she got the welcome word.

"Eagle Lift to Spectres; we are gone."

Scooter wasted no time. "Spectre Lead to everyone- Time to BUG OUT!"

No one hung around. The Blackhawks were clear and moving fast; the Apache's were right behind them.

Liz began to relax as they hit 3000. Nothing but a major AA weapon could reach them at that height. Not likely to find anything like that away from the City.

It was actually an anticlimax after that; there were no problems getting to the air strip; everyone refueled and then by 1000 they were heading home. They landed at around 1130.

Meanwhile the President had made a call to the President of Afghanistan. He promised to call back quickly with a reply.

The SECSTATE was going over things while Legal was making sure every T was crossed and every i was dotted. The Congressman was called.

Liz finished the mission debrief at 1300. It went faster than she had expected. She looked at Scooter as they headed towards their offices.

"Well for what was probably my last combat mission it went pretty well."

He nodded. "Will not know for a while if ever just what we got out of this one but we certainly let them know we can go anywhere we want to get them."

Liz spent an hour doing paperwork then called Max. He was very glad to hear from her; and told her that he absolutely agreed with her plan. She went to meet him and get something to eat; ration bars were all she had had since early the day before and she wanted real food. She good-naturedly went along with her detail; they told her that they would probably be pulled in the next day or so; she was very happy to hear that.

After eating they went back to the Hospital to see Aliya. They spent about an hour with her then Max went back to work and Liz headed to the barracks to take a long hot shower and change. The Crew was waiting for her. They relaxed for a while then Liz decided to tell them her plan.

They sat there dumbfounded. Then one by one they hugged her and showed their complete support. Liz then decided to check her email; and was glad to see another one from the Congressman.

"Looks good. Should happen soon."

The General was talking on the phone. "Yes sir. No problem sir. I guess we just need the details. The Mission went very well; we got at least one high level Taliban and also picked up some Intel. No casualties at all. No damage. About as perfect as an operation can go."

Intelligence in the pentagon was going over the predator feed from the mission. They had identified the Taliban Leader killed. Their number two overall. One of the officers was able to get the SN off of the Apache that had iced him and looked at the others.

"Well, who else was going to get him?"

SECDEF the next morning was briefed by the CENTCOM commander.

"And finally sir I guess we really do not have to tell you which Apache Driver iced the head honcho."

He looked at the CENTCOM commander and smiled. "IT was only logical."

Liz got a call to head to HQ first thing the next morning. She hoped she knew the reason why.

The General was waiting for her in his office. She took the seat offered and waited.

"Captain you are sure of this?"

"Absolutely."

"Very well. The President has made the request and it has been approved. You just need to start on the paperwork. You do realize that it will be quite a bit?"

"Yes sir."

He handed her a thick folder. "Get started on it. Have you told her yet?"

"Not yet, sir. I was NOT going to get her hopes up yet."

"Good decision."

Liz walked out of the building and got into the Hummer with her detail following. She made a decision and as they parked at the Hospital she turned to her driver.

"I am going to adopt Aliya. It's been approved and I just have to fill out tons of paperwork."

The driver blinked then smiled widely. "Congratulations, Captain. And DAMN WELL DONE!"

Liz headed into the hospital and asked to see Aliya's doctor; she was told he would be by her room in a little bit. She went into the room and found Aliya awake and with a book. She saw that it was a book of Afghan/English translation. She knew that her parents had been teaching Aliya to read, and this was a good sign. She clearly wanted to talk. She smiled at Liz and started to put down the book- Liz motioned her that she wanted the book and the girl gave it to her. Liz began to leaf through it; she had some post –its and used them to mark the word and pages.

Aliya watched with interest. Liz was trying to tell her something.

Finally done Liz handed her the book, showing the order she wanted Aliya to read. Aliya began to work it out as Liz waited with baited breath.

Aliya's eyes widened; then she went over it again. The same answer. She looked at Liz with huge eyes. Liz smiled widely and took her hand and nodded yes. Aliya's eyes filled with tears and she began to cry; Liz got onto the bed and held the little girl as she cried. The Doctor came in and saw this and waited; he noticed the book on the side and picked it up. He read the areas designated and was amazed; then asked himself why he should be?

Aliya began to calm down. Liz still stroking her hair and crooning to her as she held her. Aliya finally sat back; she looked tired and Liz stood up as the doctor checked her and told Aliya to get some sleep. He followed Liz out the door and took her to his office where he closed the door.

"Congratulations Captain Parker. I should not have been surprised. I will need to fill out some paperwork too, I wager."

Liz nodded and took out the file. She pulled a sheaf of papers and handed them to him. "I have been told it will take a lot of paperwork."

"I am sure it will; I will get right on it."

Liz headed back to the barracks; her detail were smiling like loons and she told them to keep it under their green beanies and they grinned and agreed.

Back at the barracks she started on the many forms. Luckily the Crew was out so she had peace and quiet; the Barracks was all but deserted.

One thing CENTCOM had been wrestling with was whether or not to recommend Parker for another medal for her rescue of the little girl. It was an unauthorized mission so some felt it was better to just let it go. Others felt they would be considered cheap if nothing was done. It was kicked back and forth and CENTCOM decided that if a recommendation for one came up it would approve of it but otherwise they would do nothing.

Some in the media and elsewhere thought she should get one. It was pointed out that she had done it without orders so it could not be said to be part of her duty. On one talk show the host decided to really get it out there:

"Should Captain Elizabeth Parker be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor?"

He pointed that it was clearly above and beyond duty; that no one would have known if she had not decided to do anything. She had made the decision on her own; she had risked her life, clearly. She had killed the enemy and rescued a little girl. All that technically fulfilled the official requirements for the MOH. Needless to say it got a lot of attention. But most military background people felt that was going too far.

This began to percolate; and the women's groups heard about it and demanded that if she was not given that, some other high award should be given. The Presidential Medal of Freedom began to get some attention.

Unaware of this brewing situation, Liz worked at the paperwork. She had gotten in touch with the American Embassy in Kabul, and they had made recommendations as to what to do on some of it. They then told her that a Person would be coming to Bagram to help her with it. That had come about through a call from the SECSTATE to the Ambassador. He called in his aide.

"Captain Parker is going to adopt that little girl she saved. Send someone to Bagram that can help her with the paperwork."

It was now a week past the incident and it was finally going to the back pages mostly. Though the comments about the Taliban were still, worldwide, very hot.

In his last meeting with the incoming President, he decided that this situation needed to be touched on.

"Captain Parker is in the process of adopting that little girl."

The Incoming POTUS blinked.

"Incredible."

"Not when you look at her record. One other thing that you might have heard about; there is a fair amount of pressure coming from Women's groups that she should be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I would imagine that could very well gain momentum. I would not be adverse at all from doing it; though some of my advisors think that is going too far. You look at who has been awarded it; and frankly you can argue either way."

"Are you?"

"I am torn. I have had only brief conversations with her; but I think she would think it too much. She already has a very impressive number of decorations. Yet to not recognize her action seems wrong. It was done without orders strictly on her own authority."

The Incoming POTUS thought about it. "Would you be willing to leave that up to me?"

"I would. All things considered too many might read something political into anything I do in my last week in office. She deserves better. And there is no reason not to wait until she returns to the US in March."

"I will consider if fully."

Meanwhile the outgoing SECSTATE was talking to the incoming SECSTATE designate.

"That pretty much covers what is going on right now. That last incident has REALLY helped us in Afghanistan. If there is anyone better cast for the classic villain roll, it's hard to beat the Taliban."

"It is almost as if they work at it."

"I find it hard to imagine they could do any worse if they were. OH. By the way; Captain Parker is adopting that little girl. The paperwork is in process and the President of Afghanistan has already signed off on it."

"Really? That is remarkable."

"The more I learn about that young woman, the more I think that she may be one of the most extraordinary young people of this current age. A finer young woman I find hard to imagine."

Liz finally got the paperwork done; the doctor got his part done. Now she just had to deliver it to the embassy. Her Detail had finally been dismissed but the Driver had made it plain that he would deliver it to the embassy in Kabul when the time came. So she gave him a buzz and he picked it up.

There had been few missions in the last week; the weather was unusually bad and most days flight operations were not possible.

Liz had been working in her spare time, which she did have more of, on learning Afghan. Aliya was working on learning English; and doing better at reading and writing.

Where Aliya would stay after she got out of the hospital and before she left with Liz to the US, had been something Liz had worried a little about. Vicki squashed that as soon as she heard Liz wonder.

"We put a cot in here. We got room. This way she will be around your friends and you as much as possible. She needs to learn how to live in a modern facility."

Liz had emailed her mother and Maria, Tess and Isabelle about what she was doing. She told them to not tell anyone else about it.

Her mother had been gobsmacked at first; then scolded herself for that. If one knew Liz this was to be expected.

Maria had read it first and squealed; attracting the attention of the others; they had just gotten back to Georgia for their final semester.

"Liz is adopting Aliya!"

They had already started planning weddings; all four of them would be getting married in June. So now they had a designated flower girl.

It had been decided that since the incoming Aviation Brigade would be operational on the 7 of February, that the last mission of the 101st Aviation Brigade would come on the 6th. Several supply missions were scheduled; so far no combat missions were in the works. They would spend the next three weeks packing up and getting their birds ready to be shipped. They were due to leave Afghanistan on 10 March, 2009.

Aliya had been released by the hospital on 18 January, 11 days after admittance. She was still a little weak, and the stitches needed to come out. So she was carefully brought in a ambulance and Max carried her into the building and to Liz's room and installed on a very nice little bed that someone had scrounged; not a cot. Liz and the others fussed with her for the rest of the day, since it was a no fly day.

Aliya was bug eyed much of the first day; this was such a totally different lifestyle. Indoor plumbing; neither hot nor cold. Soft bed and peace and quiet at night. Plenty of different new things to do during the day.

The next day Liz carefully took her around to the Operations building and her office; and then to the hanger to show her Liz's Apache; though now Ted used it. Aliya had been very much the VIP everywhere she went. Liz worked to make sure it was not too much for her. When Aliya had been shown the Apache she had been very quiet. Grunt was right there; and showed her everything about it; even if she did not understand all of it. She touched the side and looked into the front cockpit; she was much too short to see the rear one. She looked at Liz.

"Eagle."

Liz nodded.

Liz then took her that evening to the mess hall; she was still on a somewhat restricted diet. Liz and the others had helped her to understand forks and spoons. Liz got a small table in the corner; Aliya still attracted a lot of attention which clearly intimidated her; but she seemed to be adapting ok. They ate and Liz took her back to the barracks for an afternoon nap.

AS Aliya got stronger, Liz took her out more. Liz had to still do lots of paperwork and was working on the deployment back to the states. The good thing about this time of year was that with the relatively quiet nature of the war, they had time to get things done. But there was a lot of work to be done. A full inventory had to be conducted; so that the incoming brigade would know what they had. What could not be accounted for had to be reported. And since Liz was a captain and not currently flying she ended up doing most of those. Very time consuming but not hard.

Ted was getting in a fair amount of flying in; and Liz had talked to Scooter about that.

"Is he finally officially a pilot?"

"Yes he is."

"Good. What is the pilot situation going to be like when we get back to Campbell?"

"We will be losing about one third for various reasons. Seems like it will be about average. You will be getting the Company; I will be taking over B company."

Liz nodded. More paperwork. Then she had a thought.

"Will any officers be transferring in or do you know? Because right now we really are short."

"The other two companies have more officers; so we will transfer in one for A company so that the other platoon will have an officer."

Liz sighed; she had gotten so comfortable with everyone in A Company that the thought of newbies did not thrill her. Scooter figured out what she was thinking about.

"Before our next deployment you will have plenty of time to learn the quirks of everyone. And most of our new pilots will be copilots upgrading inside the Battalion."

"Next deployment. That will probably be Iraq, right?"

"Fairly certain. Not etched in stone yet; that will not happen for a few more months. But that is what the schedule shows. Though if they keep to the commitment as regards combat troops out of Iraq by end of 2011 we might be the last. And it could very well be cut short."

"One can hope."

Liz did not want to think about another deployment but had to be realistic.

That evening they spent some time with Max. Aliya understood that Liz would be marrying Max when they got to the US. He also made it a point to make sure she understood that he would be adopting her as well. They would be a family.

Max had decided to talk to Liz about things coming up.

"Liz, I know you want children. The question is when."

Liz nodded. She had been thinking about that.

"I think I will wait until after my next deployment; that will give us a couple of years to get used to each other and for Aliya to get used to us. I will only be 28 so that is not a problem. And you are not that old."

He grinned at her. "I will prove that during our honeymoon."

They had decided to get married soon after they returned to the US. She would have 30 days of leave and his job did not start until May. Plenty of time to get married and settle in; Aliya would stay with Nancy during their honeymoon.

The girls at Georgia were disappointed that Liz could not wait until they all could get married in June but understood. Meanwhile the Crew were deep into marriage arrangements; they had lived long enough in Campbell to know everyone that they would need for a nice marriage. Liz was looking at getting Married one week after getting back in country. She had already quietly notified her Company and Battalion commanders. She had also recruited someone to walk her down the aisle.

One day Liz had found Ted by himself in the hanger and had cornered him. He saw a determined Liz heading his way and started looking for emergency exits but was stopped by Liz.

"Ted. Will you walk me down the aisle when I marry Max?"

His jaw had dropped and then he had grinned like a maniac.

"Of course, Liz."

The Crew had come up with endless pictures of wedding gowns; but Liz had been very picky. Aliya had been also recruited. In the end a simple off the shoulder gown had been what she had decided on. Luckily there was one in stock in the nearby town and Vicki had threatened the shop owner with horrible consequences if it was not there when they arrived.

Feb 1 was a very important day. The Spec Ops guys had made a run to Kabul and had brought back a package from the Embassy. Liz had opened it in her room and had smiled. She then pulled Aliya to her and showed her a US Passport with her picture in it. Aliya was now a naturalized US citizen and Liz was officially her parent. The Citizenship had been what the Congressman called his Wedding Present.

Aliya had touched the very important looking papers and then had looked up at Liz.

"You my mother?"

Liz had nodded and hugged her and cried.

Liz was waiting at the flight line when A company arrived on the afternoon of the 6th of February, completing their last mission in Afghanistan. She hugged Ted and then that night they had a real party.

From that point on things got frantic as last minute problems and glitches, as they always did, hampered the smooth deployment.

It had been decided that Max would leave with Aliya the day before the flight taking the last of the Brigade back to Campbell took off. They would be going by commercial air; though leaving from Bagram.

The next 4 weeks either flew or dragged depending on your point of view.

On the 20th the Special Forces threw a party for the Brigade and it was a total blowout. Liz was a little tearful when saying goodbye to the many good friends she had made in Special Operations. And they made it a point to let her know that they considered her a special friend. And one of them. Aliya was also made very welcome.

Finally Liz stood there waving goodbye as the plane carrying Max and Aliya left on 9 March 2009. She went back to the temporary quarters they were all staying in and tried to get some sleep.

Nancy Parker eagerly waited for the plane carrying her daughter landed at Campbell Army Airfield. Her and many other relatives were impatiently waiting as their loved ones arrived from Afghanistan. As to be expected, Liz was on the last plane. She looked to her right at Max Evans, her daughters fiancé. He had a strong arm around her daughters adopted child, Aliya Parker. Aliya was a treasure and such a sweet child.

Finally the plane landed and to cheers the soldiers slowly walked down the stairs to stand in formation one more time. She and Max and Aliya cheered as they spotted that small figure coming down the stairs.

Liz was as happy as she had ever been, going down the stairs. As one of the more senior officers, she would line up with the others in front of the formation.

Nancy was so proud as she saw her daughter line up with the officers; and it never ceased to make her smile how little Liz was.

The Brigade Commander marched up with the Unit Flag and called the Brigade to attention.

"101st Aviation Brigade. DISMISSED!"

Pandemonium as families reunited. Max, holding Aliya and Ed making sure he had a firm grip on Nancy, made their way and found Liz who hugged her mother first, then Aliya, then got kissed senseless by Max.

Liz had leaned on a couple of people and had managed to get Married Quarters assigned to her even though she was not technically married. She had a hunch that the Special Ops boys had made a call or two; they had a very nice house. They had purchased a lot of furniture online while still in Afghanistan and had had it delivered in the last week. It was a nice 3 bedroom house that looked very good and was reasonably new.

Liz led Aliya through the house and showed her where her room was. Being told and seeing it are two different things. Aliya had huge eyes at the size of the home she would be living in.

Ed and Nancy were in a motel in town with Max. Until she was married he was not supposed to be staying there and they had decided to stick with propriety. Besides a little time alone with Aliya was a good idea anyway. Liz had sold her little car before leaving for Afghanistan, but Max had gotten an SUV that had stayed with a friend at Campbell so they had transportation. They would get a small car just for Liz. Nancy and Max had made sure that the house already had all it needed as regards sheets and pillows and towels and basic kitchen utensils and a complete set of china and plates and such. They all pitched in to unpack and place what was needed. Then went into town and ate at a restaurant. Jet Lag began to catch up with Liz and the others left her and Aliya at the quarters. Aliya was very certain that Liz needed to sleep and Liz was very touched by her concern. By 2000 Liz was dead to the world.

At 0600 Liz slowly woke up. She felt loads better. She had drank a lot of water all during the flight and it seemed to have allowed her Jet Lag to go away quickly. She got up and took a shower then went looking for Aliya. She found her sitting in the kitchen watching TV on the small set her mom had gotten. Liz kissed her then fixed a quick breakfast. Max and the others would not be in until 10 so they spent a few hours just talking; their joint efforts of Liz learning Afghan and Aliya learning English had resulted them meeting somewhat in the middle in a mish mash that sounded weird but worked for them. They would be hitting the Mall with her mother while Max would be starting to look for a car for Liz and other male things with Ed.

That day Liz and Nancy introduced Aliya to that particular set of rituals known as shopping at the mall. Aliya was very wide eyed at the incredible selection of things. Liz and Nancy made sure that she had an entire wardrobe; and that Liz get some new clothes as well. And then of course there were shoes. Liz had decided that Aliya would start school in the fall. She would spend the next 6 months getting her ready. Basic English and reading and writing would be the primary courses Liz intended Aliya to have; but she also needed to start to learn how to interact with other American pre-teens. Liz hoped it would not get too hard for her. One of the things that had had to be decided was Aliya's birthday, since she was not totally sure of the date. She was 9 years old sometime in January, so Liz had just decided that 18 January was it and that was her birthday. Liz was looking at her starting 4th grade in September.

They had a very enjoyable day and then Max called at 2 to say they thought they had a car possibility so they headed to where Ed and Max had found a small used car lot that had a good Toyota Tercell that was only 4 years old. Liz looked it over and got it. They left that lot with the car. Max and Ed had also got a home entertainment center and big screen TV and some other toys included 3 desktop computers and a laptop for Liz. Aliya would begin to learn how to use one. That evening Nancy cooked a big dinner and christened the oven in Liz's quarters by baking a pie; which was widely appreciated by all. The next day Liz met up with her wedding party; they would be married on that Saturday. The Crew was introduced to Nancy and Ed; and Ted as well. Friday Maria and Tess and Isabelle came in and they had a massive slumber party. They got in early and did not stop talking until midnight. The girls were gooey over Aliya. Diane and Phillip had gotten in that day as well and Max's good friend from his Marine days arrived and they were all ready to go.

Ted checked his uniform; he was in Class A's as was a number of the Aviation Brigade. The Post Chapel was where the wedding would be held. In the vestry he waited for Liz to show up.

Liz had been very happy that the Crew and her old friends had gotten along so well. She had been a little worried.

Nancy looked at her daughter through her tears. She had wanted and dreaded this day to happen.

"Honey you look so beautiful."

"Mom don't make me cry or I will look like a raccoon."

Finally she stepped into the vestry. Ted's jaw dropped.

"You look absolutely gorgeous Liz."

Then the wedding march sounded and he held out his arm.

"Showtime!"

The Chapel was almost packed as many of the Aviation brigade had stayed for the wedding. Maria was Liz's maid of honor and Aliya was the flower child. And very quickly it was done. The Chapel had a hall next to it for the reception and fun was had by all. Vicki caught the bouquet. Max and Liz caught a flight out that evening to Hawaii for the week long honeymoon. Aliya would go with Nancy and Ted to Columbus for the week.

Liz Parker Evans woke up with a strong arm around her – and then she remembered and blushed. A chuckle came from behind her.

"My blushing bride."

Liz now had no regrets about marrying as a virgin. ABSOLUTELY NONE.

Sun sand and lots of time in bed was how Liz would remember her honeymoon.

They settled down in the home and got used to living with each other. Most of the rest of the brigade was on leave as was Liz, technically. But Liz being Liz a full weak before her leave ran out she just had to get back to doing things. Max would be home for another month before his job started so he could stay with Aliya. When they were both working Aliya would stay at the base childcare facility which was built with all children from 1-17 in mind. And Aliya would also have the chance to start getting used to being with other kids her age.

Liz walked into the Brigade Commanders office and found that he had gotten in the previous day. New transfers were around but most of the Afghan returnees were still gone. So she got roped into getting things going as she was the ranking 1st Battalion officer present. Their aircraft had gotten in and were being unwrapped and unpacked subject to a full refurbishment.

Liz found herself happy to be busy and got right down to it. She greeted the new pilots and copilots and ground crew. And they started to get things ready for the Brigade to being operating.

Max spent time working with Aliya on her reading and writing and basic mathematic skills. She was a very bright girl; she just had never been taught much.

The third day back Liz got a call from Brigade to come to HQ. She wondered what was up.

The commander greeted her and took her into the office and closed the door.

"Liz on the 20th of May you will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom."

Liz closed her eyes then opened them.

"I had hoped they would leave me alone."

He shrugged. "PR move of course. From what I was told the pressure from the women's groups never let up. You know in some respects they have a point. The Taliban will never really recover from that incident; and all the others that have been mentioned lately. So if you are looking at it from an impact point of view, it is warranted."

"Bullshit. They had the film. The Taliban was going down."

"True. But the contrast between what they did and what you did just made it more obvious the differences. Anyway, don't fight it. It is what it is."

Liz got home and both Aliya and Max right away noticed she was not happy.

She kissed Max then hugged Aliya and told them what was going to happen. Max looked at her.

"Those that matter will understand. The rest do not matter."

A week later it was released to the media and Liz hid out as much as she could. Working to get the Company up and running took a lot of time anyway as she was officially now its commander. Griffith was now Battalion commander and Winston was probably going to move up to XO. She had A company; and a LT Sam Rivers came in from C Company. He seemed all right and took over 2nd Platoon. She got Ted as her wingman and Ken as well. Sid Wilson, a copilot in B Company became the final member of 1st platoon.

The amount of paperwork that being company commander earned her was sad. She was just happy she kept Grunt as her crew chief and the same bird she trusted so well. They were flying by the middle of April.

One quiet day Liz brought Aliya to the flight line. Grunt fixed her up with a flight suit and Liz took her up in the Apache. That was really not allowed but Liz wanted her daughter to understand what she did and this was the best way. Afterwards Aliya was very quiet but let Liz know she had figured it out.

Liz checked her Dress Blue uniform; all brand new to the latest army regs. Taking a deep breath she moved to the designated seat at the table in the White House grand dining hall. Max was on her right and Aliya on her left. Aliya looked very sweet and Max in his tuxedo looked good enough to eat. On the other side was a very proud Nancy Parker in a brand new dress.

Liz was very grateful that only pictures were taken; no questions asked.

After it was over Aliya fingered the medal dangling from Liz's neck. She looked up at her mother.

"Pretty."

As Elizabeth Parker Evans, Captain, United States Army, realized, she had a very good life.

Max was so very proud


	5. Chapter 5

Needless to say. Very AU. No Aliens. CC, but only in passing. This is M/L all the way. You might want to read the first chapter for all the background. Katims thought them up but abused them. I am just doing this for fun and revenge on him. For those not familiar with the military this site will help you with military acronyms and abbreviations

/cat/2

Liz found that the only place she could really get away from the facts of her life were in the air and at home. Outside of those two areas, her reputation and fame tended to get in the way. Her new copilot was fresh from Flight School, WO1 Roger Sikes. He was a real newbie; fresh from WO school right to Flight school. He had one tour of Iraq with the 10th Mountain as a regular ground pounder. But he had been pretty lucky and had been in a quiet area. So he had not seen much action. He was also in serious awe of Liz. It was sweet in some ways but annoying in others. She could not deny that being treated like someone really special did feed her ego or make her feel better when other things dragged her down. But it was a bit much and from a cold practical point of view was a problem

Ted had been willing to argue with her; and was not afraid to point out when she made a mistake. Which is one of the primary functions of a copilot. Roger was too intimidated and too unsure as a pilot to say as much as boo to her.

She decided to talk to Scooter Winston, the Battalion XO about this. He still commanded C company, so he was still a regular flyer. How long that would stay that way no one knew. Usually the paperwork and the rest gradually pried someone out of the cockpit.

"Jim, I really worry about Roger as my copilot. He is so in awe of me that he is afraid to even point out mistakes I make. And you know how dangerous that can get."

Jim leaned back with a sigh. He could see her point of view; but he also was not really willing to push for the kids reassignment. Hah. The Kid. He was actually only a year younger than Liz was. But in this world he was a kid.

"Liz, you need to give him some more time. He has only been your copilot for a few weeks. Outside of the hero worship, do you have any other problems with him?"

"Outside of him being really green, not really. Any deficiencies he has right now will probably disappear after more time and training. I just worry if he has the assertiveness you need to be a pilot. Or even a copilot. The ability to make snap judgments and decisions fast; to see how the situation is going soon enough to be able to react and respond."

"And that should come with time."

"I hope."

Luckily, Liz's guardian angel was once again at work.

Ted had been noticing that Liz was a little put out by her copilot; as her wingman he was in a position to see more than most. And knowing her helped as well. So one day he was in the mess hall and noticed her copilot by himself, studying a flight manual. He decided the kid needed some help.

Roger looked up as Ted sat down. Ted looked at the manual.

"Roger, you do not have to study 24/7. You are allowed to eat without it."

He blushed. Ted sighed inside. This kid was so young.

"I know, but I still have so much to learn. And I don't want to disappoint Liz. She deserves the best copilot she can get."

Ted blinked. Now he began to see the problem.

"Every pilot deserves the best copilot he can get, Roger."

"But Liz deserves better than me."

"Do you really think that Liz went right into flight school and started tooling her Apache around like she does now?"

"But she is so good. She is better than my instructor was at Flight School and he had 10 years as an Apache Pilot. Liz is much better and she has only a little over 2 years."

"Liz had problems early on; we talked about it. She had to work real hard to make it; and even harder to get to where she is now. She was not a natural pilot; she had to learn it all. Combat really teaches you a lot; I was lucky in that because of various things I got a fair amount of time as a pilot over there in combat conditions. So when I was formally promoted I had a big edge over most copilots. And of course watching Liz helped. But I was her copilot from day one; and I saw a very good pilot with rough edges. Who worked like her call sign to file them down. And who kept getting better because of how hard she worked. BUT it takes time and you will not learn as fast when not in combat. You need to take a deep breath and relax a little. And talk to Liz about it."

At that his eyes got big then he dropped them. "I don't want to disappoint her."

"She will understand. More than most will because of who she is. You do know that she hates all the attention she gets, right?"

"Yeah it's kind of hard to miss. When I was told I was going to be Captain Parker's copilot the guys told me I was lucky but that I would be in a tough place. I am figuring out what that meant now. I feel like I have to run as fast as I can to just stay in the same place."

Ted slowly nodded. Yeah this kid and Liz needed to talk.

"Well when you are finished I will scare up Liz and you two will talk. You both need to hear each other."

As a company Commander Liz got her own office; it was not big but it was hers and she liked being able to shut the door.

So when someone knocked she was a little bit annoyed; but at the same time interrupting paperwork was rarely a bad thing.

"IN." she had seen that in a movie and had liked it.

Ted stuck his head in the door.

"You got some time?"

Liz grinned at him. "For you always."

"Well not for me." He then reached out of sight and dragged her copilot in and plunked him down in the chair in front of her desk to her raised eyebrows.

"You and Roger need to talk before the kid burns himself out. He does not realize that we were all newbies at one time."

Liz sat back with a sigh as Ted left and closed the door behind him. She looked at Roger. This needed to get done, she knew that.

"Roger, If I have shown impatience with you then I should not have and I apologize. Ted was right; all of us were newbies at one time. None of us sprouted from flight school as master pilots. We all have to work at it all the time."

Roger screwed up his courage.

"Liz, I just want to be the copilot you deserve."

Liz sat for a moment trying to figure out how to do this.

"You are doing pretty good for being as green as you are. And there is no quick fix for that; just time and flight time. You know the basics; you know the foundation of what you need to learn. You just have to build on it. And a lot of that is my responsibility. I was spoiled having Ted; he was already an experienced copilot when I got him. But I bet he told you I was nowhere near as good when I first arrived in Campbell as I am now. And I had a diversion while I was first here that took a couple of months of flight time away from me and I had to catch up. And Ted helped there. So I need to make sure that you are learning while I am polishing; you see that is the difference between us. I have the time and the combat time in the Apache under tough conditions so that I had to learn quick or die. That is one HELL of a motivator. You have not had that. There is no way you will be able to learn things like I learned in Combat here. Just not possible. So clear your mind of the feeling you have to be great. You are learning. All Pilots continue to learn for their entire career; if they do not then sooner or later that will catch up with them. I am at probably 90% of what I can learn in the apache and maybe higher. You are about 50%. You just keep learning and working and you will catch up. I can only get slightly better in comparison. So you will make up the distance."

Roger took a deep breath, and felt some of the tension that he had been feeling ever since becoming her copilot leaving. He looked at her.

"Thanks, Liz."

"I should have had this talk with you without Ted having to force it. That was my failing. I should have noticed that you were scrambling. But it is also the duty of the copilot to tell the pilot that he is having trouble and he needs help. So we both screwed up. I just have less of an excuse. Now I am always happy to ignore paperwork but we have reason. So let's head out to the bird."

They spent the next several days working together and Roger did begin to make up the ground.

Both Ted and Jim Winston watched with satisfaction.

Liz found that being company commander added lots of other 'little' duties that when put together sucked up the time. But she made a point of working with Roger as much as she could; and getting more flight time. Rather evilly she started palming off some of that to Lt Rivers. Who was not appreciative.

"Come on Liz, this is BS."

"Of course it is, Sam. But it's BS that has to get done and since there is too much for me you get your share. Comes with being the Company XO."

One other thing Liz did not like about being company commander was that she had to evaluate everyone in the company from pilots to the ground crews. And also if anyone screwed up it landed on her desk first.

So when a tech on a ground crew got himself drunk and arrested for it, she was the first one called. So she went by Security and the base clink and proceeded to rip him a new one. Which was OK in one way as it allowed her to let off some steam. However it highly entertained a number of people in Security.

"It was funny as hell. He had to be easily a foot taller and 100 lbs heavier and she just ate him up and spit him out."

"Yeah, I heard her call sign is Doberman."

"I believe it now."

Liz then proceeded to convince the JAG to let it go as company punishment. Then had him do every dirty detail for a whole month straight. And she got very creative about dirty details. Which had the whole Battalion talking.

"I heard he just about begged to be sent back for Court-martial."

"Gotta admit I never saw that done by hand; can see why now."

It got to the point where his crew chief talked to Grunt.

"Man, is there any way you can get her to let up on the poor jerk. I ain't never seen anyone that miserable in 11 years in the Army."

"He survives this and it does not go on his record. Seems pretty fair to me."

But it was noticeable that little incidents tended to not happen to those in A company after that.

"What unit you with?"

"Company A, 1st Battalion, Aviation Brigade"

"Wow. I heard you have Doberman Parker as your CO."

"You heard right and that is why you can go drinking on your own. I saw what she did to the last guy caught drunk and it ain't gonna happen to me."

Max had started his job, which while not exactly challenging did have him around the flight line most days. So they got to eat lunch together most of the time.

Aliya was dropped off at the MWR Children's center where she would be spending her days during the summer until school began. At first there were not many around as everyone else was in school; but she was busy as Liz had talked to the center personnel about her unique needs to become more familiar with life in the US. So some at the center took her in hand and worked so that she learned English and other facets of modern life.

The fact that Aliya had been adopted by Liz flew under the radar for quite a while; it was not until they had been at Campbell for over 3 months that the media twigged on that.

For some time the Army just flat out would not say where she was. When the media began to get very persistent they were then told she was in the US. But not where. Finally some reporters put two and two together and began to visit Campbell. It took them several more weeks to finally spot Aliya at the MWR Children's center. It was the middle of June and school had just gotten out. So Aliya got to meet more of the children. She had met some from the immediate housing area, but right around where she lived there were not many of her age. Liz had gotten a rather good place and the officers around her were somewhat older; and those that had children were mostly older than Aliya; or younger.

The two reporters, from newspapers out east, had agreed to work together so as to cover more ground. It had mostly been a hunch when they came to Campbell. Since this was where Captain Parker was, they were acting on rumors of how close she had gotten to the little girl whose life she had saved. One day they went to the Children Center since just about any kids of her age would be there and they spotted her.

Aliya was shy; but luckily for her she happened to meet some girls who were not as shy and very friendly. The girls were still too young to really understand her situation. Aliya just told them she came from Afghanistan and had been adopted. Her English was not too bad; and the 3 girls who she got to be friendly with thought she sounded interesting. So they began to pump her for details about her life in Afghanistan. She stayed away from talking about what had happened to her. She just told them she had been adopted by her new mother and she had married a man so she had a new father as well.

The two reporters were not allowed to speak to any of the children nor take pictures which was frustrating. Captain Parker was still a pretty hot news item. She had gotten the Presidential Medal of Freedom only a month earlier. And she had refused hundreds of requests to speak to the media and the Army made it clear they would not order her to.

However they were very sure that that little girl was Aliya. And that Captain Elizabeth Parker had adopted her. Which made the story even juicier. But they had to confirm it.

The Division PR officer was an old hand at dodging questions and giving answers that said nothing at all. But when two reporters have the facts and then dare you to deny them there is nothing a good PR officer can do but try and fall back on the old chestnut, "NO COMMENT." Which as all PR officers know is admitting that the reporters have the story correct.

So the very next day headlines in two midsized Newspapers in the Eastern US have front page stories about the fate of Aliya. The story was identical in both papers; just which reporter listed first changed.

"Over the last several months there has been a great deal of speculation over the fate of Aliya, the young Afghan girl that most of the world saw shot by a Taliban official. For some time the US Military has refused to give her location. Finally they did confirm she was no longer in Afghanistan. After more delays it was admitted she was in the US. It was thought that she had been adopted somewhere in the US. And it turns out that was true. What these reporters have been able to find out is that Aliya was adopted by Captain Elizabeth Parker, the Apache pilot that rescued her, currently stationed in FT Campbell, Kentucky as commander of A Company, 1 St Battalion of the 101st Aviation Brigade. Captain Parker, who was recently married to a former Marine that had been working at the Air Field at Bagram, apparently adopted the child soon after she was released from the base hospital. We have been able to ascertain that after leaving the base hospital she stayed with Captain Parker in her quarters; then left Afghanistan with her adoptive mother when Captain Parker redeployed back to the US in March of this year. Aliya Parker is now just one of the young girls that live on Ft Campbell with their parents. She seems to be fitting in very well."

The story went on to talk in detail about how apparently the President had made a personal request of the President of Afghanistan and that it had all been carefully kept quiet.

Liz got a call early the next morning. It was the Division PR officer.

"Captain Parker, I am sorry to tell you that the media found out about you adopting Aliya. And the story is in the newspapers out East. I am sure the networks will pick it up quickly. You still refusing to meet with them?"

Liz sighed. "Yes."

"They are not going to quit."

"They are not allowed to take pictures of dependents, right?"

"No they are not."

"Then let them squawk. Another story will come along. I am not feeding that monster."

She hung up and then called Max.

"Max. The media has printed a story about Aliya being here and adopted by me. Could you get off work and go get her and take her home?"

"No problem, Liz. At least it's a Friday. That gives them a whole weekend to get tired of it."

"True. Thanks, Max."

"Why thank me? She is my daughter too."

Max stopped by the center and saw that Aliya was with three other girls and seemed to be talking and seemed comfortable. He decided to wait; and went to one of the workers. She was one that knew about Aliya. Max figured a whole lot of people on Campbell knew; but none of them had said anything.

"A couple of newspapers have printed a story talking about Aliya being her and being adopted by Liz. I was going to take her home just in case but she seems to be getting along well.

"We keep an eye on her; and yes she appears to be making friends. She is learning English very quickly; and beginning to fit in."

"Liz and I work on her English every day at home; so I guess it's no surprise. She is a smart girl."

"Yes she is. And the more she interacts with other children, the better it will be for her in the fall when she starts school."

Max went off to the side where he could watch her without being seen and called Liz.

"Good news. It is looking like she is already making friends and right this moment is talking with three girls about the same age. I am just going to wait here until they leave then take her home."

Liz smiled. That was the best of all possible things; Aliya making friends with other young girls her age.

As it turned out Liz was able to get free a little early and headed for the Center. Nice thing being a Company CO you could do that. She came into the center and looked around. Aliya saw her and immediately ran to her and Liz picked her up and swung her around.

"Honey. How are you doing?"

"made friends, Mommy. Come see." And Aliya dragged her over to meet her new friends.

Max had started to go over and decided to wait as at almost the same time 3 women headed for the same spot.

Becky Jackson was the wife of a Sergeant in the 1st Brigade, her daughter was Sandy; Ruth Winston was the wife of a sergeant in the 2nd Brigade, and her daughter was Ann; Susan Willis was the wife of a sergeant in the 2nd brigade and her daughter was Nancy. They immediately knew who Liz was.

Aliya quickly introduced her friends, who were a little awed by Liz as they recognized officers by now. The three mothers then moved in and introduced themselves. Liz smiled at them.

"I am so glad that Aliya is making friends. That will help her so much."

Since their daughters had known each other for years, the three wives had become good friends as well. Susan was the most direct and outgoing of the three and she started things off.

"It was an incredible thing you did for her. And then adopting her? It's like out of a Hollywood movie. Our three have been friends since they started school here; we all got here just over 3 years ago. So if they want Aliya as a friend, which means something. Liz, we know how tough being a mother is. And you are brand new at it. So if you have any problems at all call one of us."

"Thank you all so much. It is different being a parent out of the blue; but I love her so much. And to have good friends is another great thing. Especially if their mothers don't mind a phone call now and then asking stupid questions."

"What may sound like a stupid question to you won't be to us. Don't worry about it."

Liz then spotted Max hovering and called him over. The three mothers had an appreciative eye for Max. Liz saw that and grinned evilly.

"Ya, he is good eye candy, isn't he?"

They grinned and Max felt himself start to blush which had Liz peeling with laughter.

"OOhh, Maxy is very red."

They all then headed to their cars and Liz promising that she would indeed call.

Later that evening the three wives were talking to their respective husbands.

Susan: "Met Liz Parker today; her daughter Aliya is becoming friends with Nancy and the others. I guess the media has the story now on where Aliya is and that Liz adopted her. "

Her husband, Ralph, cocked his eye at her. "So the POSSE has decided to get to know her?"

She gave him the evil eye which got a smirk from him.

Becky: "Met Liz Parker today. Aliya is becoming friends with Sandy and the others."

Her husband, Sam, nodded. "Having friends will certainly help her get used to things here."

Ruth: "Ran into Liz Parker at the center; I guess Aliya is becoming friends with Ann and the others."

Her husband, Joe, grinned. "So you guys are going to make Liz Parker into a stepford mom?" And ducked the roll thrown at him.

Liz went home with Aliya and Max and had a good evening. The next morning she was wondering what they would do that weekend. She got a call at around 9AM from Susan.

"Liz, this is Susan Willis. Our girls really want to see Aliya. I guess curiosity has taken over. "

"Well that is great. Where and when?"

"We were thinking of having a get together at Wilkes Park. Everyone brink pot luck around noon. Spend the afternoon since today is supposed to be good weather."

"Even better. Just tell me what I need to bring besides Aliya and the ball and chain."

Susan laughed hard. "Oh, I got to tell the girls that. Grab drinks. There will probably be about a dozen of us all together including our worst halves."

"No problem. We will be there."

Then Liz had a thought and called the Crew.

Vicki answered at their apartment; they had decided they needed more and went for outside the base housing.

"Vicki, this is Liz. You guys doing anything today?"

"Not really – this week was kind of hard and we are looking at kicking back."

"Well I just got invited to Wilkes Park at noon; some of the mothers of some girls that Aliya has become friends with; and their husbands. Its Pot luck. But their hubbies are all ground pounders and I think Aviation needs reinforcement. Waddya Think?"

"Let me see what the other two are thinking."

A minute later.

"They are game. What should we bring?"

"Snack stuff."

"Gotcha.

"See Ya there."

Aliya was intrigued at the idea of a picnic. Max was happy to be with Liz anywhere so he was in. They swung by the Commissary and brought a batch of drinks and a couple of coolers and Ice. It would be in the upper 70's.

Max blinked as he saw Liz in shorts and tank top. And sandals. She looked like she was barely 21. With a baseball cap on she was the cutest thing he had ever seen.

They got there about 1145 and Susan and her family were already there. Just behind them Liz spotted Becky. They greeted each other as they parked their SUV and began to unload. About 5 minutes later came Ruth and hers. And dead on at noon came the Crew. Liz greeted them and they all proceeded to spread out the food and dived in.

They had barely finished eating when the girls wanted to go out and talk. Indulgently the mothers and Liz let them go. Becky had a two year old boy and Susan had a one year old that they put in porta cribs and they proceeded to sleep.

Meanwhile Max and the guys started talking NASCAR and Baseball while Liz and the Crew and the mothers proceeded to girl talk. They were all about the same age, with Liz being just slightly the youngest and Susan the oldest by a year.

Liz looked around a while later and realized just how comfortable she felt. This was life. It was a good two hours later that the talk seemed to inevitably turn to the war and deployments. The mothers had had to stay at home and worry while their husbands had been in Iraq twice.

Liz sensed that Ruth was the most worried of them, just by nature. So she made a special effort to emphasize to her that with the current situation, Iraq would be breeze for the next deployment, scheduled for spring of the next year.

"Way things are, we may be doing very little the next deployment. For us Aviation types it might be a little more busy. For me odds are not much at all. Probably not all that much of a demand for air support."

Vicki chimed in. "Yeah we might still be busy, but the ground pounders and Liz might be bored to tears. Of course Liz seems to be able to find situations that are downright hairy but that is just her."

"Hey. I am not that bad."

Jesse and Ellen rolled their eyes. The mothers grinned. Liz then noticed that Ruth seemed to want to ask a question but was shy about it. Liz reached over and touched her arm.

"Ask us anything, Ruth. It won't bother us."

"It is something that I always wanted to know. You said in that press conference that you were going after Aliya no matter what. Weren't you worried at all about getting in trouble?"

Liz got quiet, and then shook her head. "Did not even occur to me. When I got the first report about that POS locking her in that shed, I knew for certain she was in danger. The Spec Ops guys knew me pretty well by then; they did not hesitate and one of the Crew there was not worried either. When I was close and heard they were beating her, If I had to level half that village I would have done it. I was looking through the 30MM sight when I saw that bastard shoot her. My only regret was that he didn't suffer enough; though I believe he is roasting nicely in hell. I remember holding her as Ted redlined our bird towards the medcenter. Praying she would make it. Then sitting in that waiting room. The next morning when I saw her in that bed, so thin and pale and hooked up to all the machines, I think at that moment somehow inside me the decision to adopt her was already made. She was my child now. And now she is."

The guys had come up just in time to hear that and Max sat next to Liz and put his arm around her.

"My warrior Princess."

Ralph, deciding things were much too serious, proceeded to put an ice cube down Susan's neck which earned a squeal and a can of coke poured down his shirt. That definitely broke the atmosphere. And the talk became general again.

Late that night as Liz curled up with Max in bed, she smiled thinking back on the day.

"I think Aliya is going to be fine now that she has made some friends."

"So have you; getting to know some other mothers is good for you."

The next few weeks things went pretty well; the media was not allowed to bother them and things gradually settled down. The group began to almost every Saturday gather there and get together. Liz noticed that the Crew were regular attendees as well. She began to notice a few other unmarried soldiers seemed to start showing up as well with the Crew in their sights. OR they were in the Crew's sights; it was hard to tell. But fun to watch.

Aliya blossomed with the close friendships that she was making with the three girls. Her English seemed to get better by the day and she was acting more and more like a typical American pre-teen girl.

Roger was steadily improving both in his skills and his maturity; he began to question Liz on things that reassured her that he would make a good copilot.

The relaxed times ended in early August when word came they were going back to Afghanistan; this time to the south to Kandahar Airbase. The entire division would be there; though some would get there before others. The 101st aviation brigade would deploy in March of 2010. The good news, such as it was, was that the deployment would be only 12 months not 15. Liz got the news at a briefing for the Brigade before most others knew. The Brigade Commander made a point of talking to her right after.

"Captain Parker, you should know that there was some talk about not deploying you for obvious reasons. I made the call and put it to the Division commander who took it upstairs. The final decision has not been made."

Liz nodded then set herself. "Thank you sir. I belong with my company and my battalion. Wherever they go."

He nodded. "I knew that would be your response. We should know in the next few days."

Liz left the meeting and headed back to her office where she made a phone call.

"Captain Elizabeth Parker; I would like to talk to the Congressman."

Not a minute later he was on the phone.

"Liz, I am guessing something has happened."

"They are sending my unit to Afghanistan. South this time to Kandahar. There is talk they will not send me. I go with my company and my battalion. Sir I am calling in that favor."

The congressman sat back. Calling in a favor to GO to war; that was a new one. But not surprising considering who he was talking to.

"I will get right on it Liz."

He looked at his aide. "I need to talk to the SECDEF."

CENTCOM was looking at his XO. "This is getting up here? That is a decision at Division Level."

"Yes sir. Apparently the Brigade wants her to go; the Division does not."

"So I get to be the tie breaker?"

"Basically."

"Congressman, I sense there is something urgent here."

"Somewhat MR Secretary. A officer I admire very much has been told she might be left behind when the 101st Aviation Brigade is deployed to Kandahar. She is not happy about that; she is very clear that she belongs with her company and her battalion."

SECDEF did not need to ask who this was about.

"Normally I leave that to the unit commanders, Congressman."

"Who would not usually bow to political pressure or appearances."

SECDEF got the message.

"I am sure that Captain Parker will be with her unit. May I ask if she called you to make sure she went with her unit?"

"About five minutes after she was told she might not go."

SECDEF smiled. "That is definitely in her character. We need more like her."

"That we do. And they belong leading in the field; or in this case above it."

"That they do. You can assure her that she will be going."

CENTCOM was wondering in this case whether he might have to take it higher; when he was told the SECDEF was calling.

"Mr Secretary. Is there a problem?"

"Not as long as Captain Parker is going with her unit to Kandahar."

"Sir I was going that way but with all due honesty I was going to call you about it."

"She is most adamant about going and we need leaders like that."

"I certainly agree."

The Brigade commander answered the phone.

"I am guessing Captain Parker used her pull as I was told by CENTCOM that the SECDEF expected her to get her wish."

The Brigade commander nodded. "That did not take her long. It is a very different thing when someone uses their pull to go INTO combat."

"I am told that that happened a lot more in the past then it does now. Which is sad."

"I guess it is. Thank you for acting quickly, sir."

The Battalion commander answered his phone.

"This came from VERY high up. Captain Parker goes with her unit."

"Thank you sir."

"Captain Parker."

"Captain, you are going. This came from HIGH up."

"Thank you sir."

Liz then emailed the congressman.

"Thank You."

Liz then went home after making sure her whole Company knew the score.

After she left Ted looked at Grunt.

"I was worried they would not let her go. If they had done that her resignation would have been on the Battalion commanders desk 15 minutes later."

"Would not have taken that long. I think she keeps a resignation letter that is not dated or signed in her desk."

Liz dreaded telling Aliya and Max; who would have to stay behind. She knew if they did not have Aliya Max would find a way to go there.

Max had picked up Aliya at school and as they came through the door they saw Liz sitting on the sofa looking at them soberly. They both knew right away that something had happened. Max sat on one side and Aliya on the other. Liz put an arm around each.

"Afghanistan, Kandahar, in March for a year."

Aliya moved closer to Liz who tightened her grip on her.

Max sighed. "I had hoped for Iraq which is pretty quiet."

Liz nodded. "We go where it is hottest; and that is Afghanistan now."

Aliya softly said "As long as you come back."

Liz cuddled her daughter and smiled. "That is a big 10-4."

The next gathering at the park was quieter and less joyous. Liz knew the wives had been counting on Iraq and a less stressful deployment.

Ruth was very quiet and Liz once again made a special effort to reassure her.

"This is the best unit in the US Army ground forces; you have to remember that. And me and my company and the other Apache's will be there as well. And the Crew and the others will make sure they get there and back."

Ruth nodded. "I know, Liz. But it is still war. I am going to try and talk Joe into going into recruiting. That is a three year assignment and hopefully when that is over with this will all be over."

Liz sighed. Actually she thought that Joe would be good at recruiting, but doubted he wanted to be one. And he would not walk away from this next deployment.

A little later the three wives got Liz off to talk to her away from the others. Liz suspected that they had recruited the crew to distract their husbands by having their boyfriends get a serious NASCAR debate going.

As usual Susan took the lead.

"Liz, you know Afghanistan. What are we looking at?"

"Well I was up north at Bagram. But we did talk about Kandahar while I was there so I do know a few things. The Country is lower; the mountains are to the north and most of the fighting will be to the south. Kandahar city will be mostly the Special Forces area; I doubt regulars will be used much. So I am figuring that the ground pounders will be mostly doing garrison duty with some units taking part in attacks to clear areas. Those units will rotate the duties. Even now the Taliban does not like to actually fight our forces because they lose. And they know it. Realistically the biggest threats will be IEDs and bombs. Most of the toughest fighting will be done by special forces. That is pretty much as it is right now; though that could change in the 7 months to go before we deploy."

Becky and the others nodded.

"Thank you for giving it to us straight Liz. The guys will try and sugar coat it to try and make it easier for us."

"I know it is dumb but that is what guys do that love their women. We kick their asses for it but it's in their DNA."

The three smiled at that and agreed. Liz hoped that she had helped.

Interestingly not long after that the Guys cornered Liz and asked her if the girls had wanted details about Afghanistan.

"Yes they did and I gave it to them straight. Anytime they ask they will get the truth. They know you guys will try and make light of it if you can."

Which left the guys with nothing to say.

The Crew was sitting with their boyfriends, all grunts from the 1st and 2nd Brigades. Jesse and Vicki and Ellen pulled Liz down and surrounded her.

Liz looked around and muttered

"It is so nice to be popular."

Jesse grinned some but the smile slid away.

"Liz, we know this deployment will be different than Bagram. Everything we have heard says it will be harder and more dangerous."

Solemnly Liz nodded. "Yes it will be. But honestly I think overall you guys might be in the most dangerous positions."

Vicki and Ellen blinked and Jesse cocked her head.

"What do you mean?"

"The Taliban and everyone else don't even try and ambush apache's anymore. Even their dumbest know better than that. The ground pounders are realistically going to be somewhat limited in their missions. More security and guard and garrison duties than anything else. Probably not that many missions where they will really be in a hairy situation. BUT because of how tough it is to run anything on the roads anymore because of IEDs, more and more resupply is done by helicopter. And most assaults are done the same way. And hawks are the easiest target to be had. So in a lot of ways it's you guys that will be in the crosshairs more than anyone else."

They all considered this and Liz noticed that their guys had all pulled them in a little closer. Jesse looked at hers.

"You agree?"

He nodded. And so did the rest of them.

Liz sat for a moment. She then looked around. "I promise you guys that A Company will not fall down on the job. We WILL be there if called. As a matter of fact the whole 1st Battalion will be there as well. We got good pilots and good commanders, modesty aside. You guys call and we will get it done. Take that to the bank."

Liz was not aware of how she appeared. The smallest adult present, in shorts and tank top, sandals, looking barely old enough to vote let along take a drink. But suddenly she stood very tall.

The training regimen began to speed up and intensify. They still had 6 months, but they figured that by the end of January their birds would be in the process of being packed; early February at the latest. And there would be Christmas Leave to factor in. So most of the training had to be done before Christmas. They could do some after but it would not be all that much. Ft Carson training would come in October. While the likelihood was that they would do a lot less mountain flying in the South versus the North as last time, the newbies still needed that training. There had been some discussion about doing that training in January, which would have probably been better, but in the end it stayed in October.

Liz was not very happy about leaving Max and Aliya; she had wanted more time with them to bond as a family. But what was was. So she made it a point of trying to spend as much time with them as she could.

A Company, even to Liz's somewhat jaundiced eyes, was doing well. Sam Rivers was a good XO and leader of 2nd Platoon. He had experience in Afghanistan as well. Liz had made a point of pulling out maps for the area around Kandahar province and having all the pilots and copilots study them until they were familiar. Then every chance she got she would throw scenarios at them; various possibilities of missions. What do you do under this situation in this area; and so on.

The Battalion Commander was talking to his XO, Ed Griffith on the companies.

"So how do they look to you?"

"Pretty good. C Company is still a little rough, but then they also had the highest turnover. They are coming along. B Company is solid; Scooter Winston has them well in hand. A Company is doing very well; Liz is pushing them hard. She has them constantly working on scenarios. Which is something we need to have all the Companies doing."

"Still wish you were flying?"

"Of course; but the reality is anymore that neither one of us can spend the necessary time staying sharp with all the administrative crap we have to do. And it is stupid and selfish to try and fly when you have not put in the time staying ready."

"Glad you think that way. It took me a while to admit that. When you reach our level it has to be what is best for the mission and the unit, not what we want."

Ed cocked his eye. "Why do I feel there is something else in that?"

"Because I got early word that my promotion to Brigade XO will probably happen some time after we deploy. Which is lousy timing. That means that you will probably get a quicker promotion than you might have expected. Which is what happens in wartime. Scooter will probably become your XO. I know we try and keep pilots in these slots but sometimes that is not possible. Scooter Winston is too junior to get bumped up into Major but that is the way it could be.

Ed grimaced. "Well the extra pay is nice and making light colonel is good; but otherwise that sucks. I see how much administrative shit you deal with and I do not want it."

"Suck it up."

The other companies started doing more complex scenarios as well; Scooter kicking himself for not thinking of it sooner.

It seemed time flew and they were heading to Ft Carson. Luckily that was uneventful. The training was tougher this time because they all were pushing harder. Just about every prior veteran from Afghanistan seemed realize that this would be a rougher deployment. Liz had her people simulate battle damage and practice auto rotations at higher altitudes; it got hairy a couple of times.

Sam was talking to his copilot.

"Liz is really pushing hard. It is like she has an idea of what is coming."

"Ted was telling me that at the start of that mission she did the barrel role on, she had a feeling something bad was coming. She never said anything like that again. And that was by far the closest they came to getting splattered. So maybe she has a hunch again."

Liz was addressing the company after the last training flight in Ft Carson.

"OK, people, I think we are about as ready for the mountains as we could get"

She looked at her people and felt very proud. She knew they were sharp and ready. "Hustler" Rivers, "Whistler" Logan, "Stomper" Simpson, "Lobo" Dugan, "Slinger" Wilson, "Hammer" Jones, "Pug" Terrel. She had in her platoon Whistler, Lobo and Pug.

She had decided after the Christmas break that they would try and get as much flight time as they could for the Copilots. They were all pretty green.

November went by and the Christmas season came close. Nancy and Ed would be coming to visit. She had also been determined to visit Maria, Tess and Isabelle. They, interestingly, all settled in Savanna. Liz was amazed that everyone was able to get jobs there considering the state of the economy but all three families were doing well. Liz, Max and Aliya would be visiting them for a few days between Christmas and New Years. The three women had all gone into the reserves to finish out the rest of their enlistment.

Aliya was very wide eyed at her first Christmas. Liz loved showing her the holiday season for the first time. She was truly a joy. And she and the three girls had become as thick as thieves; one of the reasons Liz figured Aliya was doing so well in her first real school. She had adapted very well to life in America.

"So, Chica, how do you feel about this deployment?"

As usual Maria cut to the chase. Liz and her family had just gotten into town; they were all gathered at Maria's house, since she had gotten ambitious and found a big older home that needed work. One lucky thing about the bad economy was that homes were cheaper than ever. All three had found good ones. The home had been built in the early 20's, and was three stories high and had been modernized some in the 80's. Maria was just looking at finishing it. Michael had his own studio so he was happy. It had 7 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. Liz looked at it and cocked her eye at her friend.

"So just how many kids are you two planning on?"

Maria's blush said it all.

But the good news is that there was plenty of room for Liz and her family, and Maria's mom as well was there. Diane and Phillip were staying with Isabelle and Alex; and Kyle's father was staying with him and Tess.

"It is going to be tougher than my last one; I just know it. I can feel it."

Maria nodded; they had all gotten used to Liz just "knowing" things.

The girls made a point of spoiling Aliya rotten; which Liz loved to see.

The second night the men had all been exiled elsewhere and the ladies were in the massive living room of Maria's mansion, as they had all taken to calling it.

Aliya had been worn out with all the shopping and was safely asleep on the third floor. So that left Liz and her three friends and Diane and Amy. Diane kept thanking Liz for getting Max to settle down. Much to the eye rolls of everyone else.

Amy voiced the main concern everyone there had.

"Just how dangerous will this time be, Liz?"

Liz considered the question.

"More dangerous for me? Probably not. This is a lower altitude area; most of the fighting is down on the plains. Kandahar City is not where Apache's will be doing much if anything. Part of what made the northern area dangerous was we were at a higher altitude; which for helicopters is not a good thing. The Taliban has pretty much learned trying to shoot down Apache's is not a smart thing. They have just about given up on that. Now they try and target the Blackhawks and the Chinooks. So for them it will be more dangerous. The only mountain fighting going on is pretty much done by Special Forces, and they usually have their own lighter and smaller attack helicopters. The reason we spent so much time escorting the Special Ops guys last time was that the range of the operations made it hard to use those smaller ones. And one of their Aviation battalions had been assigned to help others, actually down where we will be this time. I doubt we will be helping them out nearly as much. And most of the most hairy missions last time involved Special Ops. So for me personally overall it is probably not going to be as dangerous."

Tess was shaking her head and Diane looked at her.

"What is it Tess?"

"What Liz is NOT saying is that since the Blackhawks and others will be under a greater threat, she will be taking her Apache's in lower and slower to protect them."

They all looked at Liz who proceeded to blush. Maria whacked her with a pillow.

"Chica, we expect the straight dope from you. No sugar coating."

Liz sighed. "Guys, I guess it is no surprise to you that I already know this will be a hairy deployment. The only good thing about it is that it will be only a 12 month one, not 15 month. Apache's are the big guns of the Aviation Brigade; it is up to us to protect the others and give support to the grunts. It goes with the territory."

Diane decided to ask another question that she had asked Max, but he had not really known the answer.

"Liz, after what happened the last time, it was a pretty sure thing that you would not be going back to Afghanistan due to the fact that you had become the Taliban's Public enemy #1. What happened?"

Liz blushed and Isabelle snorted.

"Liz used her pull with that congressman to make sure she got sent."

Amy and Diane stared at Liz in shock.

Maria shook her head. "Liz has a very overdeveloped sense of responsibility. As Company Commander she was not going to have her people go in without her."

Liz grimaced. "It is not just that. I am a very good Apache Driver. I have experience there. There is no excuse for me staying. I signed up with eyes wide open. I will not back out. That is not me. If I had stayed behind I would have resigned from the Army. I guess I could have requested assignment as an Instructor; and I might do that after this deployment. But I was not going to be forced into that decision."

Amy shook her head. "I guess maybe you really are a warrior. Jim has said that a couple of times."

Deciding she was getting too much attention, Liz then grinned at Amy.

"So how is the courting going, Amy? I hear Jim is getting pretty persistent."

Maria glared at Liz. "I do NOT want to hear about this. Kyle as my step brother is a thought that does not BEAR to be considered."

Tess protested. "Maria he is not as bad as he was. I have been working hard on civilizing him. He only burps at the table now and then and he has remembered to put the toilet seat down for several months now."

They all laughed at that. And things eased up.

Diane was interested in how Aliya was doing.

"Aliya seems to be adapting well to life here."

Liz smiled brightly at that.

"Ya. She really has. Making friends like she did early on has made a huge difference. She is no longer as shy or as timid. She is growing up and getting more confident. I just wish I had had more time with her before deploying again. But Max will be there for her."

Diane shook her head. "Max told me that otherwise he would have found a way to find work with a contractor there. I am glad that he is staying here."

"I will miss having him close. But I will also be happier with him here taking care of Aliya."

Maria shook her head. "Enough depressing crap. Now for the good news."

She blushed slightly. "I am pregnant."

And that took care of depressing subjects for the rest of the night.

Going back to the base and preparing for the deployment was not the most cheerful thing to do, but as always Liz did what she needed to do.

True to her plan, the company spent a lot of time during the remaining month they had their birds getting as much flight time for the Copilots as they could. And practicing shooting everything. While 2.75 rockets were being used less and less Liz insisted that everyone keep practicing with them. She pushed for more live Hellfire shooting as well.

Finally they saw their choppers taken off of flight status and starting the process of preparing them for shipment. That left them with working on all the other details of preparing for a combat deployment. One thing that Liz had to do that she had not done much with last time was prepare a will. Before it would not have mattered as everything would have gone to her mother. But now with a husband and child things were much more complicated and she did a proper will.

One night Liz and Max lay in bed and Max realized that Liz had something to talk about. So he spooned her and whispered in her ear.

"Come on, Liz. Just get it out."

"Max, if I don't come back…"

"Liz, please…"

"No Max we have to talk about this. We need to make contingency plans just in case. I know for instance that you do not think much of your job. So you will quit it and find something you like. I think it would be best to try and stay in this area; Aliya needs continuity if that happens. And her friends are here. Between my savings and your savings and the increased Life Insurance I have taken out, there will not be any hurry for you to find something. So take your time. If you can stand it, I would like you to think about moving to Savanna where all my friends are and they would help take care of Aliya. After a year or so. I would hate for Aliya to lose her friends, but it might be better for her to go elsewhere where she would not be reminded so much. I know that kind of conflicts with Savanna but it will be your call. And you will not become a monk or hermit. You will give yourself time to grieve and then you will find someone else who can be a mother to Aliya and to give you children of your own. I want Aliya to have brothers and sisters if possible."

Max was silent for a long time.

"Liz you cannot think you are so replaceable. I never really loved a woman until you."

"Everyone is replaceable in one way or another. People remarry all the time. Just give yourself a chance. And think of Aliya as well."

"OK. I promise I will try. Just please do not give me a reason."

"I will try my hardest to make it back to you and Aliya, Max. You know that."

This was a very different leave taking; before there was no one waiting for her back at the base; and that made it so much harder. Liz realized that now she had so much more to lose than just her life. She hoped that that realization would not affect how she led her company and fought her Apache.

Flying into Kandahar was much different than Bagram; Kandahar was so much more built up and busy. There was only one runway which was insane; although apparently another was in the works. One good thing was that the barracks and quarters were better than Bagram. They actually had some other amenities as well; though the current commander had run a bunch of the fast food places out of town so to speak. His name was taken in vain quite often.

Liz had quietly politicked to get quarters with the Crew, even though as a Captain she actually rated something a little better. As it turned out in their particular quarters she was the senior officer. Once again four to a room, and there were 12 rooms in the two floors of that building. It was built like a cheap hotel, though the rooms were better than that. Each room had its own shower and bath and a small kitchenette.

Rocket attacks and small arms fire at the perimeter were fairly common, and they were told most just sat them out rather than going to shelters. Liz told everyone that it was up to them; she would not order them to go to shelters.

While there was definitely a threat from the outside, Kandahar still offered far more than Bagram did. Jesse summed it up well: more risk and more reward.

The bubble idea had spread from Bagram and the hangers at Kandahar were full of them. Their helicopters had arrived just the day before and it would be at least a week before they were flyable. Then the Brigade would take several weeks to get a feel of things before they took over the duties of the Aviation Brigade about to leave. There were more facilities and better facilities that had just been built than Bagram had, so from that point of view things were better.

They took over the offices of the outgoing brigade, who were still operational, but who had moved temporarily so as to let the new brigade get up and running as soon as possible. Liz found that as a company commander she ended up at more meetings than she had before. Which was one more pull on her time. She was very grateful that Sergeant Alexander Roberts was still the E8, the First Sergeant, and was to her the unsung hero of any aviation company. He was the direct commander of the crew chiefs; he was technically a crew chief himself but rarely had the time to get his hands dirty.

In the so called glamorous world of Army Aviation, not much was ever said about the support units. Which sucked in Liz's view because without them the helicopters became massive paper weights. The complexity of an Apache is staggering once you take a close look at it. Avionics (Aviation Electronics) for an Apache is the equivalent of any modern Airliner; with extra things like computers to keep track of multiple targets for Hellfire Missiles and the like. Encrypted communications; hardened for combat. And so on. That takes a lot of work to keep it running in friendly climates; for hot, dry, dusty Afghanistan it's much harder.

One of the briefings early on consisted of a no holds barred dead straight evaluation of the current situation in Kandahar city and Province. To be blunt, it was not good. Sympathy for the opponents of the National Government (more honest then claiming they were supporters of the Taliban) was high. The National Government was not trusted. Neither was the military or the National Police. Part of that was due to tribal feuds and differences; but a lot of it was due to the plain fact that they were both incompetent and corrupt in all too many cases. Kandahar City was especially hostile. Outside of the City it was a little better. The current overall commander in Afghanistan had been pushing night raids that while better for the troops going in tended to cause more civilian casualties and overall was questionable in its value. What Liz got from all this was that basically the overall plan was just to wear down the enemy over time. And the 101st Aviation Brigade was going to be one of the primary parts of that wearing down; between moving the troops to and from and the Apache's covering them.

Things began to accelerate as the choppers were made flight ready; vs combat ready. First they were flown to make sure that they had not broken anything on the way; then all their systems were tested; then practice at maneuvering, and firing. Weapon's practice was a fair amount of fun. This took about three weeks before they were considered combat ready. So right at the beginning April, 2010, the 101st Aviation Brigade took over the aviation mission for the Kandahar Province. Now the Special Ops crews had their own aviation section that supported most of their efforts, but they just did not have enough assets to spread over all the areas that Special Ops covered in Afghanistan, which for all intents and purposes was the entire country of Afghanistan. So on occasion the 101st would be supporting them. Liz had a very good relationship with the SF in general, and had found out that Captain Forrest had ended up down here for his current tour. She had supported his teams on several fairly hairy operations. And then he came by shortly after they became operational. His visit was not by chance and had come from a meeting with the area commander of Special Ops.

"This is not any news to you I am sure."

"Well, sir, I would have to have been dumb deaf and blind not to notice that we just do not have the organic aviation support necessary to perform all of our missions."

"Very well put. Down here in this part of the country especially. There are plans to increase the 160th, but that is in the future. Now the good news is that the 101st Aviation Brigade is about to take over. And we have some friends there already, and most of their people worked with us in Bagram on their last tour. Now the real problem is that our friends in the Company pretty much trashed their reputation with the last Brigade here."

"I was never aware the Company had a reputation that could be trashed."

"Well that is the semi official story anyway. The problem was that the company nitwits in their typical way managed to screw some people in that brigade and from that point on no one wanted anything to do with them. Now I do not blame them at all; in their shoes I would have done the same. The problem is that I have no doubt that the new guys were very explicitly warned about doing anything for anyone from the company. So I will need someone from Special Operations to serve as the go between. So in addition to your regular duties when the company needs to get something done and neither it nor the units of the 160th here can do it, you will need to talk to them."

"Well I can guess what kind of rep I will get after a couple of those missions."

"We all have to make sacrifices, Captain."

"Well, Captain Parker now has Company A of their Apache Battalion and I know her fairly well. Though I was really surprised they sent her back here, considering the size of the Bullseye the Taliban will have on her."

"The word I got was that she had her tame congressman call the SECDEF and demand she go along with her unit."

"You don't see much of that anymore."

"You don't see ANY of that anymore is the factual answer."

"Well then I guess I will have a talk with her and clue her in. Then ask her to talk to the Battalion Commander. That is probably the best we can do as regards having some Apache Drivers on our side."

"Good Idea. Now to be brutally honest, Captain, I would prefer any favors asked to be for our people and not the company."

"And if they say no to the Company that is the Company's problem."

"Now you get it, Captain."

So when Captain Forrest stuck his head his head in her door Liz was quite happy to talk to him.

"So, Joe how goes the snake eating?"

"Try rattlesnake sometime; tastes like chicken."

"I will take your word for it."

He then got up and after a quick look down the hall closed her door and sat down in front of her desk. Liz raised an eyebrow.

"OK, so this is not just a meet and greet. I was there with you on more than a couple of interesting missions, Joe, so just give it to me straight."

"Liz, this is a request from my area Commander. It's not about any particular mission; what it is about is that in addition to all the other fun things I am doing here I am also now saddled with seeing to it that important missions for the CIA get support when our own or their own people are not available."

Liz looked at him. "The outgoing brigade was very informative about CIA missions and their people."

He snorted. "I bet they were. And they were right. The Company will screw anyone anytime anywhere. As they proved once again to the people in that brigade. I have no doubt that the 101st Brigade commander will refuse to have anything to do with them subject to a direct order from higher up. And then will do his best to delay obeying until nothing can be done. I do not blame him a bit and neither does my CO. But there are occasions when they actually do have good reasons to do something. What I am here asking is if you are willing to talk to your Battalion commander and agree to listen. I will be the point man – they will not come to you directly. So technically you will be responding to Special Operations requests for assistance. But you will know who really is involved. I can promise you right here and now that you will get the straight dope from me on any mission they are part of."

Liz sat back and thought about it. Then looked at him.

"That is of course if they tell you the whole story."

He grinned; no flies on Liz.

"There is always that possibility, but we have our ways of finding out things as well. Anything they come up with that really smells I will let you know. And give you the high sign if I think it's a good time to have serious maintenance problems with your birds."

Liz slowly nodded. Captain Forrest had always been straight with her.

"OK. Let us go have a talk with the Battalion CO and his XO, who used to be my Company Commander."

The Battalion commander and Ed Griffith looked at Liz then at the SF Captain as they came into his office.

Ed shook his head. "Liz, I thought I taught you better about who to hang out with."

Liz grinned. "Hey, what is a little conspiracy among friends?"

The Battalion commander rolled his eyes and signaled the Captain to close the door.

"I probably officially do not want to know but tell me anyway."

Liz began. "Captain Forrest was always straight with me the last time I was in Afghanistan. I agreed to forward his request. You are on Joe."

Joe then made his pitch. Ed just grunted and the Battalion Commander sighed.

"I understand your situation. But do you really understand the problems the Company caused for the last brigade here?"

"Yes sir I do. They got screwed royally. But then they should not have taken it personally; the Company will always screw everyone. It is not personal; it is just the way they are. I promised Liz that if I had any suspicion that they were pulling something I would let her know and she could find out that suddenly none of her birds were flight capable for various reasons. I agreed to be the go between. I will not, and I give you my word on that, screw you. If the Company finds out that they are not going to get anything that is their problem. It is not like they can complain to anyone that gives a damn."

The Battalion commander slowly nodded. Then looked at Liz. "So you get to be the designated Liaison to Special Operations Command. That is the only way I can sell it to Brigade. Joe asks Liz who then decides if we need to get involved. If She says no that is final."

Captain Forrest nodded. That was a pretty good deal and frankly better than he had hoped for. He figured Liz vouching for him counted a lot. And that is what he told his CO.

"Well, considering her reputation maybe that is not surprising. But it is also something to remember. If she thinks we screwed her or her people, I would not be surprised if she dropped a dime on us to her tame congressman. Who could really make us regret it."

"I will just have to make sure that it was the Company and not us. I have never done it and will never do it knowingly."

Flying her Apache was still the most enjoyable thing Liz did with her clothes on; before Max it was #1 period. Early April in Southern Afghanistan was not much different than early April in Northern Afghanistan. Getting hotter, still as dusty and still as dry. But up in the air, 3000 feet above the ground, in her Apache, it was a very different world. This day was the last one before they began to support combat operations. The entire company was flying with her, as they practiced some formation flying. And she got to enjoy one last fairly carefree day in the air.

That afternoon came the briefing for their first mission. Two FOB's would be resupplied by Chinooks from 6 Battalion; Liz would take 1st platoon and cover one while Hustler took the other platoon for the other mission. The entire Battalion was out covering supply missions this day. Actual assault and combat missions would start pretty quickly.

"Well there you have it. Pretty simple really. At least until the bullets start flying. Targets of opportunity are well known; but you do not leave your area unguarded just to pot shoot a couple of insurgents. They could be doing that specifically to lure you away and leave the Chinooks vulnerable. For you newbies, I will remind you all once again that sacrifice for the hard core Taliban means to them a sure path to paradise. Just like the Japanese Kamikaze's of WW2. No real difference. Those of you that were here in the last deployment learned that the hard way. We were very fortunate that last tour by not having one single Apache seriously damaged let alone shot down. But they came close as Lobo and I can FORTUNATELY testify to. Do not relax; do not take anything for granted ever. You let down, you relax, you get careless the Gods of War will strike you down. Which will be only SLIGHTLY worse than what I will do to you if you are lucky enough to survive."

The mission began early, before dawn, which would be the usual pattern; less chance of anyone seeing which direction they have gone and maybe getting out warnings. The FOB was about 40 minutes flying time from Kandahar; the Apache's had one external fuel tank. One good change in procedure was that now it was up to the Company Commander how much fuel they took on any single mission. No more having to go to Battalion. Liz intended to go with at least one aux tank on every mission; and if it was much longer on this one, two. One hellfire pod and one 2.75 pod would be standard. The number of Hellfires shot in Afghanistan had dropped significantly; more and more work was done by the 30MM, which was the most accurate weapon they had. With so much attention on civilian casualties, the pressure was always on to be more precise.

Liz checked the area as they got close; the FOB reported the area clear; it was just dawn. She took her platoon down low and over flew the landing area before taking station at 1000 feet while the Chinooks landed and began unloading. Liz tended to have her people alternate around, switching places and generally trying to be unpredictable in their movements. It took about an hour for the Chinooks to unload. So far nothing. Liz took them down low and buzzed the area then moved out and hovered; watching as the Chinooks took off. Once the Chinooks got to 2000 feet they took off towards Kandahar and Liz kept her Apache's flanking them. There was no real need to stay around once the Chinooks got to that height; the Taliban had very few SAM's and most of them were over age Soviet models that were not very effective. Still it just made everyone feel a little better to stay together. The flight back was happily uneventful.

That days flying had been very much routine; no one had really had to deal with anything bigger than some insurgents trying to pot shoot at ranges far beyond the capability of their AK-47's.

That afternoon came the briefing for an assault mission on a village about 100 miles from Kandahar, slightly north in the foothills before the mountains. A company from the 1st Brigade would hit it; they would be flown in by 14 Blackhawks of A and B companies, 5th Battalion. 6 Blackhawks would be in reserve, 2 of them Medevac. The Crew would be in the lead choppers. Once again A company would be their escort. Since it was thought that they might have more time on the ground, Liz would have her birds take 2 aux tanks.

The Company commander wanted the ships to land right at Dawn, with no flyover by the Apache's. He wanted his people in that village before most of them woke up. The Division Commander did not agree with the night raids the Theatre Commander preferred and would go that way until ordered not to. It was a lot harder figuring out the real Taliban from civilians as it was, without throwing the dark into it. Now if someone shot at you, they got bullets right back. No matter whom they were. As usual a unit of the Afghan Army would go with them to interpret and to make it clear that this was not just Americans coming to visit.

0500 and they were in the air; Dawn was about 0630. If they got near the target early they would hover and wait; better too early than too late.

As usual the flight there was uneventful; later on in the tour when the machines began to get worn down by the constant missions, it would not be unusual in an assault this big for one of the choppers to have engine trouble. Which could cause all sorts of problems depending on the severity. If it had to turn back one of the reserves would have to go with it as well as one Apache as escort in case it had to land short of the base. As the machines got more worn down more reserve choppers would be going along.

They did get in the area a little early and hovered for 10 minutes 10 miles out before continuing. Liz had her platoon as low cover while Hustler had his as high.

The 16 Blackhawks swooped in and landed on all four sides of the village and the Troopers poured out and swept in. Liz, listening in, did not hear anything out of the usual and the Blackhawks took off and came back to altitude. The Apache's stayed at 1000 feet, watching everything in the increasing light.

For the first few minutes not much appeared to be happening; then Pug called out.

"Have six armed firing at troops from wash"

"Can you clearly identify them?"

"Roger. One has RPG."

"Take them."

"Roger used 30MM they are took."

That apparently turned out to be the only armed fighters in the village; and subsequently showed to be the only Taliban there. So using a full company was definitely over kill. The good news was that no civilians were wounded. The only shots fired beyond the Apache's were a few that tore down a door on a shed that was locked; in it were found arms and ammunition that was probably Taliban. After a hurried conference with the Afghan Military, it was decided to leave them. There were so many AK-47's and so much ammunition floating around Afghanistan that why bother with a few. Besides that might be the villages only protection against bandits. So only 45 minutes after touchdown the Commander ordered dust off. The Hawks came in and in one hour they were all heading home.

The next day came two smaller assaults on smaller villages; Liz split the company up with 1 platoon for each. Once again there was very little opposition and this time the Apache's did not fire a shot in either case.

Other units were not so fortunate and there was some heavy fighting. But no one was killed and no choppers were more than slightly damaged.

The next two weeks were pretty much the same; Liz had yet to fire her weapons which really surprised her. Everyone else had. But all the 101st Brigade missions were successful, though not without loss. No choppers had been lost; or pilots or crew killed. But several Troopers were. And some of the flyers were wounded if only slightly.

One month into the combat part of the tour, early in May, came the first mission where it got a little hairy for Liz's company.

IT was another larger assault; this time half a company in 8 Blackhawks and 4 in reserve with 2 Medevac. This village was not that big but rumor had it that it was fully Taliban. The thinking was that there were probably no civilians in this one; but of course no one could be sure of it. But the predators had been watching it for several days and no children or women had been seen. It was over 150 miles from Kandahar. There were two ways to handle this one; everyone have maximum auxiliary tanks or have a refueling point set up. Just about everyone preferred a refueling point and that was the way it finally went; Liz pushed a little when Battalion was hesitant. They picked an open area about 40 miles from the target and kept a watch on it with UAVs. Then at 0400 they headed to that point; with two Chinooks carrying fuel and a security detail. The landed at that point at 0445 and were refueling at 0500. By 0545 they each had been topped up and they headed for the target. The Apache's had one external tank; the Blackhawks none.

Like the pattern was at this time, the Blackhawks came in with the Apache's; this time Liz let Hustler take the low road. They landed on both sides of the village and the troopers poured out and headed in. They started taking fire early on and returned it, steadily pushing in. Due to the previous intelligence, Hustler was cleared to fire on any armed personnel they saw as long as not accompanied by women or children. Unarmed were NOT to be fired on.

Then the troopers started to take RPG fire and Hustler's platoon moved in close to assist. More and more it appeared this was a Taliban stronghold.

Liz took a careful look around the village in the increasing light and spotted no movement towards it from any direction. With that she brought the rest of the company down; the blackhawks had all pulled back. Then the word came in for MEDEVAC and the first one began to land. Liz and Lobo moved down to cover them; and as it landed several Taliban rose up to fire at it; Liz and Lobo blew them away with their 30MM before they could cause damage to the MEDEVAC. Several injured troopers were carried to the first medevac and it took off immediately. Liz detailed Pug to escort it.

More Taliban popped up and were hosed by the Apache's. Then word came in for the other Medevac. Command indicated that resistance had just about ended. Liz and the others stayed low and watchful. Then the call for Dustoff came for most of the troopers. The other medevac left and Liz had one of Hustler's people go and he sent Whistler. The troopers had quickly gone through the village and found some arms and weapons caches and set demo charges on them. Nothing else had been found of interest. They were all in the process of taking off when word came back from the refueling point that they thought some enemy forces might be coming close. Making a quick decision Liz left Hustler with the escort duty and took her two remaining Apache's with her at full throttle. It took only 20 minutes to get there and they did indeed find some moving in and Liz and the others went down low and hosed them. Fuel reports indicated that everyone could get back comfortably with current fuel load so the refuel point rather quickly packed up and took off. They were only a little behind the rest of the flight and Liz stayed with them.

That was the most action they were to see for a few weeks; the other companies got more.

One day just after a couple of milk runs Captain Forrest stuck his head in Liz's door. She looked at him and sighed; he came in and closed the door.

"The Company has an operation going and needs some heavy support; everything we have is already committed."

"What kind of operation and where."

"They know where a Taliban official is and want to bag him. But they want the Taliban to think he got blown up. So they want to place a body there dressed appropriately and have the building he is in blown up. The Idea is to have the Taliban find traces of the guy and figure he is in many pieces. Now to do this they want an Apache there to use Hellfires; that way the Taliban does not suspect the charges will be set on the ground; you will fire the hellfire and a couple of others and big booms. This place apparently is a bomb making factory so big booms would not be surprising. And this is a full night operation."

Liz rolled her eyes. "Complicated much?"

"That is their specialty and you are right. But this one is pretty high priority. Liz, I think you ought to take this one yourself; they want as little known about it as possible."

Liz looked at him. "Like I would send anyone else. So how are we going to do this?"

"You load up and fly out this evening and to one of their bases. About midnight we hit the place. The buildings to be blown will be laser designated by a predator; you just have to make sure the Hellfires are locked on and let them go."

"Why not use a predator?"

"Because they want to blow up four separate buildings; and if it is done clearly by a helicopter the Taliban will be less suspicious."

"OK. I will talk to the Battalion commander."

Right after dark they took off and flew on a precise heading for one hour at near maximum speed. Roger was kind of excited about this; Liz just shook her head and told him he would learn. At one hour they were called and given directions from there. They landed in the middle of what appeared to be a cleared area surrounded by old milvans. After landing and instructions they both got out. Liz told Roger to stick with the bird and she followed a man dressed in civilian clothing into one of the milvans that had been set up as a HQ.

Once inside the door closed and a dim light was switched on. Liz figured it was no coincidence that the only light focused on a map on a table. The faces of everyone was dimly seen at best; almost certainly on purpose. One of the men did all the talking.

"Captain Parker here is the area; you will be here at exactly 1250. At 1300 the operation should be ready and you will wait for the laser designator and then fire four hellfire's as directed by the lasing. After firing you will fly low over the area and then return to Kandahar. With a full tank from here you should have an excellent margin. You are further directed to not mention this mission to anyone anytime in the future. You will make that clear to your copilot as well. Am I understood?"

Liz calmly looked at him and said. "Yes."

"Very well you may return to your aircraft and wait; take off will be in approximately 3 hours."

Liz turned and walked out the opened door and followed the company man back to the chopper. She saw Roger supervising the filling of the one auxiliary tank that they had. After it was done and they had checked that the cap was shut and tight she told him to just sit down and wait. Which they did. Liz nodded off after about half an hour. 30 minutes before taking off Roger woke her up.

Hovering and waiting, Liz waited for the word to drop down to 500 feet where she would fire. The word came at 1305; she lowered from 1000 and took position; the designator buzzed and one by one she fired the Hellfires. 4 very nice explosions. She waited a couple of minutes to let debris settle then flew over the village at about 100 feet. No one would mistake that. At that point she turned the bird on a bearing for Kandahar and took off. She let Roger fly them back to give him some experience in night flight.

Once they got back they just gave blank looks to anyone that asked where they had been. They got back in at 0300. Luckily her company had no missions that morning so she was able to sleep in some; they had a milk run that afternoon, a supply run to two separate FOB's. Nothing happened. So she was able to get a full nights sleep that night.

The next few weeks were a steady pattern; some milk run resupplies; other escort operations.

There still was the occasional rocket attack, but nothing had ever come close to their building. IT was actually fairly comfortable there compared to the time in Bagram; there was more variety of things to do and get. Liz tried to spend some time in the gym, to stay fit. Vicki and the others were frankly Jealous as Liz seemed to have no problem staying small. They were all comfortable with each other; and that was good. Liz emailed Max and Aliya every day or so, keeping them informed of things. And they emailed back with details of their everyday life that Liz clung to. She was coming to the conclusion that while flying her Apache was the best; the rest of the job was not so great. And she was seeing it more and more as a job. The paperwork and other BS that she as a company commander had to wade through was a real downer.

Liz was seriously thinking that before her next deployment she would request a transfer to the Aviation school as an instructor. With a little luck she could make that assignment last several years. By then she would be a Major and be looking at becoming a Battalion XO. Her active flying days would be about over. Another possibility was to bite the bullet and start taking college courses. But that would inevitably lead to staff positions and the like. She would rather be a flight instructor and then run her string out. Then get out and fly in the civilian world. Without modesty she knew she could just about write her own ticket. She just was not sure how far to take her military career.

It was the beginning of June and the campaigns really began to heat up. Special Ops were all over Kandahar City; that was a real tough nut to crack. The rest of the Division had just about arrived; for the first time in a very long time all the 101st Airborne was deployed in the same place at the same time.

Max picked up Aliya and took her home; Ft Campbell was very empty. Basically only bare bones military left; just dependents mostly. Aliya was doing well; she was worried about Liz of course but the constant emails helped. Liz was usually able to call once a week as well. Max was very lonely without Liz; he began to finally comprehend the feelings of other military men who had left their wives home on deployments. Only for him it was the other way around.

The Special Forces senior command had made the expansion of the 160th SOAR a priority; but that still took time. A new whole unit was being planned as well; many grumbled that this had been obvious for a long time and ignored. Which was true.

Women had been allowed in Special Forces only for staff positions for a long time; but that was gradually changing. They were slowly infiltrating all areas; and aviation was one of the first. Command was actually beginning to consider recruiting them.

One special project was an attack helicopter that was more survivable then the current models. The Direct Action Penetrator version of the Black Hawk had been one. But a tougher more heavily armed helicopter was needed. A new design would take 10-15 years before it could fly. And no one had made any kind of a major breakthrough that would make it worthwhile. So the geeks started to look at taking what was already out there and significantly improving it. They kept coming back to the Apache; but with some modifications. Making the tail rotor a fenestron; more particularly an electric one. With the new generations of electric motors so much more efficient and powerful, you would not need to bleed power from the main engines; the generators on the Apache already had the necessary extra power. And that kind of tail rotor was less vulnerable to enemy fire. With two separate cables to run power to the motor, which would also make it less likely to be damaged. The tail boom could be significantly narrowed; weight savings. Going titanium for the frame and the body while very expensive would save over 1000 lbs and maybe more; using more powerful engines. A complete upgrade of the aircrafts avionics and communications. The engineers went to their computers and figured that they could overall gain 20% on range; and add 15% on speed. Maneuverability would also increase. New glassine based Kevlar armor would give greater protection for less weight. It would be expensive; but it would outclass easily anything else in the world. An extendable air refueling boom. New composition rotors that would be stronger and more rigid. The stub wings would be articulated fully; the pods built into them, which would then allow auxiliary tanks to be added while not losing any firepower. And tied into the control system would allow better high speed maneuverability.

This project had been started in 2007; by 2010 the first model was ready to fly. And the initial flights exceeded expectations. Veteran Apache pilots test flew it and loved the new bird.


	6. Chapter 6

It was now late June and there were multiple missions almost every day. All the helicopter crews were being run ragged as the new offensive against the Taliban demanded more and more support. Several Blackhawks had been badly damaged and two had been destroyed; but the 101st Aviation seemed to lead a charmed life as regards no one getting killed. But with the tempo and the demands, that was just a matter of time. So far the Apache's had escaped with only minor damage on a few occasions.

It was the second mission of the day; and the second mission where the entire company was out on a mission. This was another major assault on a Taliban village over 150 miles from Kandahar. This was considered the limit for various reasons. They would base out of a FOB that was only 50 miles from the target. That meant they had to load up and fly there first; refuel and then hit the target and maybe refuel on the way back. 6 Battalion would supply the Blackhawks; and two full companies were involved. As usual with an assault this big, a full company of Apache's would accompany them. The first mission had been a resupply that ended at 1200; by 1500 they were heading to the FOB where they would land and refuel and wait until just before dawn the next morning. The FOB was primitive and you were stuck sleeping in a tent; which in the very hot weather of near mid summer was not easy to do. A dinner of MRE's did not make it better.

Liz and the others got what rest they could; she did manage a few hours of sleep. She had a uneasy feeling about this mission. At 0430 they woke up; at 0515 they were in the air and hit the target right at 0545. 14 Blackhawks from two sides dropped off the company of troops; and then flew off to wait; joining the 2 MEDEVACS and 4 reserves. Liz had her platoon down low this day while Hustler went high. The troops surged into the village; from what Liz could see there was very little if any resistance. She told Roger "this is a little suspicious; no resistance." "Yeah. Not a good sign for what was supposedly a very serious Taliban village."

The troops found only a few fighters; and not much else. No arms caches; explosives or much of anything. The village looked just about abandoned.

Liz's bad feeling got worse.

"Spectre lead to Assault; looks like an empty house."

"Assault to Spectre Lead. Nobody home. Will be pulling out soon."

Liz did not like it. "Doberman to Hustler; scout the immediate area."

"Hustler to Doberman Roger that"

Liz kept her platoon with the Blackhawks, watching everywhere at once.

A few minutes later "Hustler to Doberman; nothing."

"Roger"

Liz was still worried. When the commander called for Dustoff she ordered everyone down low; 1 platoon to each side, and to keep a sharp eye.

The Blackhawks came in and landed and the troopers poured out of the village and began to board. Liz got tenser; if they were going to do anything it was now.

And sure enough out of concealed areas a group of Taliban popped out. It was clear now that they had kept them going there every night so as to be ready for a dawn assault. And they had gotten lucky in that the 101st had come calling.

The Apache's jumped right on them pouring 30MM fire and some used Hellfires and 2.75's. Liz had Roger hose one group with the 30MM and she fired several 2.75 HE's at another; some of the Taliban were getting hit from multiple Apache's.

But unfortunately they were not able to get them all in time. An RPG hit the rotor of one Blackhawk just as it was about to take off; it luckily did not explode as the rotor shredded and destroyed the engine in the process. Further in luck no one on the Blackhawk was seriously injured. In an instance of absolute chance another RPG went right through the open doors of another Blackhawk and did not hit anything and kept on going. But their luck ran out as another RPG hit a Blackhawk that had just taken off; it hit the right engine and exploded; the rotor shredded and the Blackhawk fell straight down and over turned, laying on its side. Several others were hit with small arms fire; but only a few were wounded; only one other Blackhawk was damaged enough so that it could not fly. The only Blackhawks left were the three damaged ones.

"Doberman to Hustler; Wipe that village!"

"ROGER THAT!"

2nd platoon proceeded to use up most of its Hellfires and 2.75's.

The medevacs were already on the ground as were the reserve Blackhawks.

6th Battalions XO had come along to command; he ordered that the damaged blackhawks be assessed. In 10 minutes the word came back that the two hit by RPG's were just about totaled. The less damaged one could be repaired if they could get a crew to it. He then called base; if a Chinook was handy they would send one; if not they would get a repair crew and parts and bring them in.

Liz considered the situation; this would take hours either way. They had about 2hrs flight time left.

"Doberman to Assault Lead; recommend all undamaged head to FOB; I can have one platoon go with and refuel"

"Assault Lead to all craft; head to FOB. Doberman are you staying?"

"Roger."

Liz pulled the Apache's up to 1000 feet and hovered. If fuel looked like it could become a problem she would land and idle. It would not take more than 30 minutes for them to get to the FOB; probably about an hour at most to get refueled. Probably not that long. She had to stretch things.

"Doberman to Whistler and Pug; land and idle down."

"Roger."

The medevacs left soon after; the reserve Blackhawks took off as well; no one would be left on the ground. If they were going to repair it the pilots could come back; if the Chinook came they would not need pilots.

Word came back soon that no Chinooks were available; a repair crew would have to come from the base. ETA was 3 hrs.

So they waited; Liz contemplating how this could have happened. Clearly this was an ambush; but how could the Taliban have known this village would be the one hit? Only the mission planners had known; and no one knew which village would be hit when. The Afghan military was not told either. So Liz began to think that they had just had a routine for some time established that they would wake up around an hour before dawn and move to their spider holes. With the level the campaign was at, this village would be hit sooner or later. Liz had seen several come out of holes that had a foot of sand on top of them; there was no way even with infrared they could have been detected prior. Sophisticated Sniffers probably could; but those were very expensive; only the Special Ops had any. And she was not sure that they worked from any distance. She wondered if the really sophisticated infrared could help?

After an hour Liz and Lobo switched out. At the end of the second hour she heard the good word.

"Hustler to Doberman, ETA 15 mikes"

"Roger that Hustler."

She took off and waited for the others to arrive. When she got to the base it was empty; the rest must have headed back home. She frowned a little at that; it was policy that no group of blackhawks went any distance without attack escort. She landed and got out. She went to the FOB command tent and poked her head in.

"They left without escort?"

The FOB commander was clearly not happy. "Yes. Good news is that the repair crew is inbound. ETA at the target is one hour."

Liz shook her head and went back to the chopper. They were done refueling in just less than 45 minutes; Liz waited until the repair chopper and the spare coming with it were in sight before taking off. She got to the site and told Hustler to take off and refuel and then head home. She had Whistler and Pug land while they stayed up. It took two hours for the repairs to get done; and the repaired chopper took off with the other two; charges had been set in the totaled Blackhawks to totally destroy them, particularly their electronics. They blew as the rest of them left the scene. They all stopped to refuel one more time before heading home. They got in about 1400. Liz found the Battalion commander waiting for her.

"Were you told about the flight heading back to Kandahar without escort."

"nope."

"Well, I am going to the Brigade commander on this; the 6th Battalion CO does not think it is a big deal."

"I think it was really stupid and an unnecessary risk."

"That is what I think the Brigade commander will say. I know he has not been happy with the leadership of 6 Battalion."

Liz was at dinner that evening; she ate in the mess hall a few times a week depending on what was going on.

James Winston and Ed Griffith found her and pulled her into a quiet corner.

"The Brigade commander just relieved the Battalion commander and his XO; they will be on the next plane out." Came from Winston.

Liz blinked at them. "I am a little surprised he moved that hard and fast."

Griffith shook his head. "He has been looking for a reason for a while; this way he got both of them at one shot when the Battalion commander said he would have done the same thing."

"So who is taking over the Battalion and who is his XO?"

"XO of 5 Battalion is going to take it; Scooter is moving to his XO. I will move up to Battalion XO and will get my promotion. One good thing is that the planned move of our Battalion Commander to XO of brigade will not come until after we get back home."

"So are you going to keep flying, Ed?"

"For as long as I can. That makes you more than likely the senior captain –will have to check for sure."

Liz sighed. "So I am 3rd now?"

"Probably but I will make sure."

Two days later weather grounded everyone and the Brigade commander called a senior officer meeting; every captain and above. The reverberations were still coming from the relief of 6 battalions Commander and XO. Liz had talked to the Crew about it.

As usual Jesse was the blunt one. "About time for both of them."

Vicki nodded and Ellen snorted. "I am surprised that it took this long."

Liz was a little puzzled. "I know he was not well liked; I certainly did not; but I had not heard he was that bad."

"Actually neither one of them was really incompetent; they just were assholes and got too fast and loose with things. Good riddance. Our XO is a good Joe; and you said Scooter Winston was a good guy."

"He is a good guy. Sorry to lose him Scooter will do fine. Bad thing about that is that I am now senior Captain in the battalion- at least among the pilots. The company support captain is senior but he is a non pilot. That inevitably means more work for me. And brings the day closer when I get bumped up to Battalion XO and start getting buried in paperwork."

The meeting was rather short and to the point.

"Let me make something clear about the actions of the last day. Relief for cause will happen if I am not satisfied with your performance. And I want this to be absolutely clear; no helicopter goes more than 20 miles from this base without escort. No solo runs at all. And the only way there is no Attack or Armed helicopter escort is if there are none available and it's a critical mission."

The Kiowa's had been used for recon and light attack and escort duties; it was decided to prioritize the Apache's for the most risky and demanding missions. One problem the Kiowa's had was they were not as capable at higher altitudes as the Apache was; and they did not have external tanks, though they had better internal tank range than the Apache. They would be used almost exclusively for the shorter range missions and especially anything that concerned Kandahar City.

6 Battalion was lucky in that the unflyable weather lasted for 3 days and allowed them time to accept and get used to the command change. The rest of the Brigade did not complain as it was the first real multi day rest they had gotten since April and the start of operations. 3 straight months was a load. This also allowed the ground crews to catch up on maintenance and then catch up on their sleep.

So it was a rested and more ready Brigade that started operations again. Which was a good thing as some hairy missions came fast.

"So the prototype exceeded all expectations and did not have any major bugs. That is pretty rare."

"Well, most of the individual improvements have been tested elsewhere; the new engines, most of the avionics and communications gear. The air frame is just stronger than it was; the fenestron is well proven as regards tail rotors."

"True but sometimes when you put all those components together for the first time unexpected things pop up."

"Apparently not this time. What does the funding look like?"

"We are lucky; Special Operations still gets the special treatment for funding. Though the congressmen winced when told of the $80 million price for each; more than double a regular Apache. So we will probably get at most 2 companies; 48."

The first day flying again there were 3 separate FOBs that required resupply; and all the Brigades Chinooks were split between the three. They were also over 100 miles from Kandahar. So Liz made sure that they had two auxiliary tanks for their mission. It was partialed out one company for each mission. Possibly overkill but you never knew. And on this day it turned out to be a good idea. After noticing that there were bases that had not been resupplied, the Taliban figured out which ones were most likely to get some the first flyable day and had sent in groups to cause trouble. With the beginning of July it was now at the height of summer and very hot and very dry and very dusty.

At two of the FOB's, the Taliban were not as stealthy as they thought they were and the personnel there spotted them; warned the Apache's came in and hosed the area and took them right out of the fight. Liz listened to this over the battalion net; she called ahead to their target. All three resupply missions had left at the same time but the one Liz was covering was the farthest away.

"Spectre Lead to FOB Jakob; any activity noticed? Those people are busy at the other bases."

"FOB Jakob to Spectre Lead, nothing seen or heard here."

"Roger."

Liz had not had any premonitions before this mission as she had before others that had turned hairy. But she decided to take no chances.

"FOB Jakob, just in case we intend to fumigate your perimeter. Will let you know when we are within 5 miks."

"FOB Jakob to Spectre Lead, Roger that."

"Doberman to Hustler, take the North side and we will take the south side. Use up your 2.75's."

"Roger that."

"OK People get ready."

"Spectre Lead to Jakob, 5 miks to a belated July 4"

"FOB Jakob to Spectre Lead; we don't have any beer or popcorn but we will be watching."

"Doberman to all units; FIRE!"

In ripples each helicopter fired 19 2.75" rockets, all HE, for a total of 152 that pretty much covered a great deal of the perimeter of the landing area. That raised up a lot of dust that took a few minutes to clear. Then Liz led her people down to 300 feet after it cleared and hovered, waiting to see if anyone else showed up. The Chinooks came in and landed and began to unload; the Apache's hovered, waiting. But no one showed. The FOB sent out squads to look over the area the Apache's had hit. Just before the Chinooks were done and about to leave the word came.

"FOB Jakob to Spectre Lead; we did have visitors; and they have been greeted properly. Thanks."

"Spectre Lead to FOB Jakob, we are an all services included package. Fumigation included."

At the mission debrief held for all three at the same time, it was bandied about that maybe in the future for resupply runs that the Apaches should pop some at the perimeter all the time. There was some debate about the increased usage of munitions, but overall the sentiment was to shoot first and ask questions later. The Battalion commander took that to Brigade and it was approved; it would be up to the escort to do so on a case by case basis.

Talking with some of the others, Liz thought that using 2.75's without any reason was probably overkill; so popping some 30MM first to see if that stirred up things was agreed on. And from that time on it became SOP.

The Brigade commander had taken that up to division and it was debated some; but most agreed that using some 30MM to sanitize the perimeter was probably a good idea. Maybe the most dedicated and disciplined Taliban would continue to hide and wait, but most others would not be able to resist doing something.

So from that time on no resupply was done without first treating the area around the LZ to some preventative pest control. And that did have an impact; incidents during resupply runs to FOB's dropped significantly.

As August began to go by, the pace of combat began to slacken. The new theatre commander changed some tactics and it seemed to help. The Brigade was just happy to have things ease so that they could properly rest and relax between missions, and the maintenance personnel could get their jobs done and still get enough sleep.

But most of the Afghan vets knew that it would pick up again, especially starting in September when things would start to cool off.

Meanwhile Liz was thrilled to hear that Maria had had a baby girl; and accordingly she and the Crew poured over the baby pictures. It was a nice distraction. Then she found out that both Isabelle and Tess were expecting as well.

"The congressman was kind of pointed, wasn't he?"

"Well he has believed in this for some time and of course what he has seen personally has had an effect.

The SECDEF pondered on this. How much of this was because of that? Not that it mattered why; it was a view that was gaining ground. And personally he had nothing against it.

"Very well, schedule this for the briefing for the President on Wednesday. I am going to have the Joint Chiefs way in on it and present their view to him. Some may consider this a small change, but it is significant."

The President read the memo and the views of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"Very well. Make the change."

"Just got this from SECDEF. Read it."

"Well, sir that is not a big change."

"But it is one for us, though some did not know that some of that was already being done."

"Because we did not exactly advertise. But this does impact some of our other future plans."

"Yes it does. Well I am going to draft up a memo for the groups. Basically telling them to start looking and examining candidates."

"They have to apply first."

"True, but that does not mean we can sound out some we think belong in SF."

"What about the 160th?"

"I have a feeling, since this was coming from a certain congressman, that it might just have more to do with aviation than anything else."

"You think that is what this is about?"

"Partially. But can you blame him? And especially for the 160th, it is due."

"They have women there."

"Staff positions, though that is rather loosely interpreted there. But no pilots."

"Do you wonder if she is prodding him?"

"From everything I have heard, no."

"Our first operational SAH-64 will be ready next year. I am wondering if that figured at all?"

"Well, she certainly would be at the top of my recruit list."

As September waned, and the temperatures began to cool off; the tempo of Combat started to warm up. While the new ways of starting off resupply missions had helped there, assault missions were still usually way more interesting than anyone wanted them to be.

It was late September. They had only one mission scheduled that day, which was nice. Another pre dawn assault. A big one. A full company from the 3rd Brigade would be hitting a fairly good sized village that was reputed to be mostly Taliban. Once again two full companies of the 5th Battalion, A and B, would be involved. 14 going in, 6 in reserve and due to the size and the way things had been going, 3 MEDEVACS. Liz was happy that this time the Crew would be in the reserve choppers. Still she was starting to get a bad feeling. Considering how accurate that had been, she quietly told Hustler that she was getting bad vibes and the word spread. The whole company by now took her inklings very seriously.

Things seemed normal as they formed up and headed out; the strike headed out with no problems. The target was about 80 miles out. Just 10 minutes in, one of the Blackhawks reported engine problems; it quickly landed and one of the reserve choppers took their troops. The mission commander, 5th Battalion CO, ordered everyone to continue on; another Blackhawk was already on its way to escort the wounded bird, which thought they could make it back to base. Liz felt her foreboding increase. The entire flight had continued on and the backup bird caught up. They made up the time and were on schedule. As usual they were going to hit the village from two sides. It was on the foothills, but the terrain was not that rough. Liz decided to listen to her feelings and had the whole company down low, watching, flanking the Blackhawks as they came in. They hit the ground and the troopers headed for the village. As far as Liz could see, surprise was total. The troops all unloaded and the Blackhawks took off. So far so good. Listening to the troopers, they were meeting increased resistance. Liz, listening to her feelings, had not pulled the Apache's out yet. Even though procedure was to do so in this kind of situation. They were still very low, at about 300 feet.

"Hustler to Doberman; we have hostiles moving in from the west; am engaging."

"Roger that, Hustler but leave two behind."

"Roger"

Looking around she could see nothing. Then

"Pug to Doberman, hostiles coming from the east"

"Doberman to Pug, take Whistler and engage."

"Roger."

Liz knew something else was coming. Working on instinct, feeling that the Taliban were trying to divert the Apache's, she ordered everyone even closer to the village, they were about half a mile out. Looking into the village, the troopers had split it in two and were trying to drive to each end, which would mean they had covered the entire village. The Taliban were resisting fiercely. Then she noticed some buildings that did not look right; if she had not been this close she would have missed them.

"Spectre Lead to Assault Lead, there are concrete bunkers right near your front points. On each end of the village."

"Roger – will advise."

The company commander was looking at one. It looked fairly normal until you got right close to it; or saw it close from the air. He noticed that the door looked solid; as did the window. He began to get a bad feeling. He ordered the men there and the ones on the other end to back off; he pulled them back to more than 100 yds away from them and behind some stone buildings.

"Assault Lead to Spectre Lead; have pulled back; take those buildings out."

"Assault Lead, pull back a little farther please."

"Roger we are."

"Doberman to Hustler are you back?"

"Roger."

"See that strange looking building at the end of that lane?"

"Roger. It does look different."

"Take it out with a Hellfire- but make sure you are at angels 10."

"Roger."

Liz pulled back to 1000 feet and aimed a Hellfire at the building."

"Doberman to Hustler; FIRE!"

They launched almost together and their missiles hit the buildings- which blew up with considerably more force than empty buildings should have. Even at 1000 feet and probably a quarter mile away linearly, the blast buffeted Liz.

"Spectre Lead to Assault Lead; how are you guys?"

"Assault lead to Spectre lead, a little dusty but no serious injuries. We are pulling out; requesting DUSTOFF."

The other Taliban fighters had either been killed or had fled or were hiding; the extraction was quick; the CO did not request MEDEVAC so the injuries must have been minor. In 15 minutes everyone was heading home.

At the mission debrief some photographs of the buildings were examined. They had clearly been build specifically to focus the blast outwards; the walls were thin but the roof had been very heavy. It would have acted as a tamping measure, forcing more of the blast and debris outward rather than upwards. Which would have been very deadly for the troops. Clearly the idea was to have let the troops advance until the two buildings were right where the front line was, where most of the troopers would have been close to. Then without a doubt a radio controlled detonation would have occurred. They might have lost half the company.

The Company commander looked at Liz. "What tipped you off?'

She was a little embarrassed. "I had a real bad feeling something was up; then when those forces outside the village started to make trouble something told me that it was a diversion, what could they do, they were fully exposed. So to me it seemed they were trying to keep the Apache's from getting too close. Because from the air the difference in the buildings was pretty clear. Once you spot them they really stick out."

"Well I can say without a doubt you saved a lot of Troopers today, Captain Parker."

The Battalion commander looked at Ed. "Commendation?"

"Definitely. If she had not been so sharp, so paranoid one can say, we could have lost half a company of men today."

That got around the division fairly quickly. The Crew made it a point of thanking Liz; one of those she might have saved was Ellen's current boyfriend. In her own quirky way she made her point.

"Gee, Liz, you just kept me being able to get laid. Thank you."

The Battalion commander noticed that A company was getting more requests to fly escort than any of the other companies. It had been that way somewhat, before; but after the exploding building mission it got very pronounced.

"Liz's company is getting very popular."

"Word gets around. Someone figured that no one had yet been killed on any mission that A Company escorted. Either in flight; landing or taking off; or fighting on the ground."

"I can see why that would get the soldiers attention."

On the first of October the Brigade held a ceremony and several people got commendations and medals. Liz got another Air Medal. The company that was there that day was in full attendance and made their appreciation well known.

Afterwards the Crew and she were quietly talking in their room. Jesse looked at Liz.

"I did a little checking, Liz. Now maybe some Special Operations type has gotten more, but from what I was able to find you are the most decorated US Army soldier of the last 10 years."

Liz blinked. "I think you might be wrong. There are some chopper pilots that have gotten seven or eight air medals. I have gotten 3. So odds are that there are others with more."

Vicki looked thoughtful. "Just counting here; you have the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Presidential Unit Citation, DSC, Legion of Merit, Soldiers Medal, Purple Heart, 3 Air Medals and your other medals. You might not be. But you are not far off either."

Ellen grinned at a clearly embarrassed Liz. "Suck it up, Hero.

Liz just hoped her luck held; for the rest of the tour anyway.

The word went out to look for that sort of thing again; but no one figured the Taliban would try something that had failed and was now known about again. But the possibility of that happening was mentioned and from that time on no uncleared buildings would be passed by.

October came and things were still pretty warm on the battlefield if starting to really cool off elsewhere. Towards the end of that month Liz got another request from Special Forces; though this time it was for them and not the Company.

"Satellite is pretty sure but the angle is wrong."

"Predator?"

"Supports the premise."

"That is pretty high. Nothing can hover at that altitude."

"Nope. But there are two rock outcrops nearby; just big enough for a Blackhawk."

"Anyone staying at that altitude, 16,000 feet, would take weeks to acclimatize to that. Even in this country."

"True, but a great place to hide things. And easy to keep an eye on from below."

"OK talk to the Rotor heads."

"Sir, all our birds are too big for that ledge that can get to that altitude. We figure that there is at most 25, maybe 28 feet clearance to the mountain side. Everything that can go that high has a bigger rotor than that."

"What can?"

"Well an Apache has a rotor that is 5 feet less diameter. That could make it if you have a real good pilot that is nuts."

"So that is the story sir."

"OK, let's have the satellite take real good pictures and get a very precise reading on that one ledge. Make sure it is possible before asking our favorite Apache pilot to try. We would send our guy as the copilot so that he can go in and look."

When Liz saw the Captain she sighed and motioned him into her office.

"OK, what is it this time?"

"Well it is a special one for sure. We think only an Apache can do it. So we would like you to come by and let us know what you think."

Later on at the Spec Ops compound in the Commanders office she looked at the proposal.

"You guys are truly nuts. I kept hearing that but until now I really did not believe it. 16,000 feet; have to come up over an 18,000 foot peak and then drop down and land on a ledge that has at most a two to three foot clearance for my rotors. My front seat is occupied by a intelligence weenie who goes in there and looks for something Al Queeda might have hidden there. Then we leave and hope to fly safely down to the valley below."

They just looked at her. She sighed and looked at the satellite photos.

"They are sure there is rotor clearance?"

"Yes."

Liz sat for several minutes thinking about it. But part of her could not resist the challenge. And what they might find could be huge. This was thought to possibly be the squirrel hole for the whole organization. This had been rumored about for some years. She shook her head and grinned slightly.

"I guess I am just as crazy. I need to talk to someone with Boeing on this for that kind of altitude."

"We have a conference call set up for one hour from now."

Liz rolled her eyes at their confidence.

Liz looked at the numbers. All pods off the aircraft. 100 rds of 30MM her only armament. A half full internal tank and nothing else. It would take over 20 minutes to get over the top of the mountain. But she figured her weight, counting her passenger, would be very light. That should help. The target was over 200 miles away. She would fly to a Spec Ops post that was about 30 miles away. She decided that she needed company and talked them into allowing her to bring one other Apache with her. She chose Lobo of course.

The Battalion commander looked at Liz. "This request came from high up, really high."

Liz sighed and looked at him. "Cannot say more sir. It is a pretty wild mission."

"OK. Just come back."

"Roger that."

Ted was not happy when Liz gave him some details. But he knew that it had to be very important for her to take such a risk. Roger was not told much; she would drop him off at the base.

It was scheduled for two days later; Liz flew two missions before she left that evening for the Spec Ops base. Grunt was not happy when she told him to unload all but 100 rds and take off all the pods and not put on any auxiliary tanks. It was a long flight and the base was not much. She shut it down and got out. Then they waited. They put just enough fuel in to make a half a tank. She met the weenie, who looked like a staff puke. Glasses and the whole nine yards. It was good that he was not very big. She had a hunch she would be thankful for every pound saved. He seemed friendly enough; Josh Dummel, a captain in Intelligence.

She took off at 0700 and began the climb, holding the chopper on a steady course towards the mountain, climbing to 10,000 and holding till she got close; then she began to climb; as lightly loaded as the Apache was she did well until just over 15,000 when it was clear she was struggling; at that point both she and Joe put on emergency oxygen masks. She pushed it to just over the top of the mountain and started to go down the other side, curving around to maintain as good a forward speed as possible, this was way above what an Apache could do as regards hovering. She spotted the ledge and moved right to it, knowing she could not miss; as she got close to it she could feel the ground effect; and a plus was an updraft; she had hoped for one and that definitely helped. Her altimeter read 16,455 as she closed in on the ledge. Carefully with her telling Joe to watch the top of the rotors she moved closer and closer and then taking her heart in her hand began to set down; and then she was down. Slowing the rotor down carefully, prepared for the bird to start to slip, and she got to idle. She let out her breath in the mask and told him.

"Go for it Joe."

He gave her the thumbs up and opened up the hatch and carefully made his way to the cave entrance. Liz concentrated on not thinking about things as she waited; 15 minutes, then 20. Then 25. Then she saw him coming lugging some bags of papers; he had thought to bring plastic supermarket bags, he put them in and got in as well and closed the hatch.

"Not sure what I got; but I think it's going to be valuable."

Liz then began to add power until she felt the aircraft start to move then she headed over and started to go down; the first few seconds were scary as she was dropping fairly fast but she increased the horizontal speed and that got better and as they passed by 10,000 she was able to take the mask off; she was drenched in sweat. Then she headed for the Base. They got in with about 20 minutes of fuel left. She landed it and shut down and began to shake from the effects of all the adrenaline. She then opened her hatch; Joe had already opened his and there were several Company looking types waiting for him. Roger and Ted came towards her; Ted handed her a cold water bottle that she drained in about 10 seconds.

"I am never doing THAT again."

SECDEF looked at the report. Then at the president.

"This answers a whole lot of questions we have had over the years. Who started Al Queeda and most importantly who was helping them that we did not know about. Using this as a base of knowledge, we can now trace the organization all the way back; and just as importantly go from there and trace these people mentioned, some of whom were never suspected."

"I believe another medal is owed to Captain Parker."

"Yes sir. Though it will have to be a classified one. I agree with the Special Operations recommendation for a Distinguished Flying Cross."

"It is so approved."

Captain Forrest was back a week later and right away told Liz

"No mission. Just a little thank you if you can come by tonight."

"Well in that case OK."

Liz managed to close her mouth when the Commander of US Special Operations Command pinned the Distinguished Flying Cross to her uniform.

"Congratulations Captain Parker."

"Thank you sir."

The local Special Operations commander then told her. "You can wear the medal at ceremonies requiring full dress and decorations; and it will go in your service file but that is all the attention it can get."

"Understood sir."

Frankly, Liz was kind of hoping they would forget about her for the rest of the time she was there. While it was an honor they came to her, she really did not think that she liked the rate at which the missions kept getting tougher.

The rest of the month was not as tough as the first part had been; and she was happy things seemed to be slowing down as combat typically did as the weather got colder, especially at night.

Things still got a little tough now and then but the charmed life of A Company and those they escorted continued.

Liz could not help but hope that their luck would continue. Luckily things had settled down in that part of Afghanistan. Even Kandahar City had cooled off.

"When will we be able to go operational with the SAH-64?"

"Rate of production is scheduled for 2 per month starting in December. So realistically in 4 months we could have a company if we stay with the current 8 per company TOE. But it would probably be best until we have 16 for 2 companies and that would be, including time to set everything else up, sometime late in the year. That is of course if there are no delays. Which you usually have."

"So pencil in the likelihood of not until Jan 2012?"

"That would be a reasonable expectation, sir."

November started cold in the weather but hot in combat as the Taliban apparently decided to make one more big statement before most combat ended for the winter. However Allied Command also decided that the pressure should be kept up.

Actual Taliban attacks were not very common; outside of Kandahar City. Either pressure was being applied from above or some local commanders decided to try and impress higher command; whatever they did go after some of the Patrol Bases.

This allowed the Apache's to respond and go after them; and the Taliban were to find out that in colder weather the night vision goggles and infrared sensors of the Apache worked better.

It was actually on the 8th of November, or rather the very early morning of that day, that Liz and Company A got a chance to really do some damage.

Liz groaned as the phone in their quarters rang; Vicki groaned and put her head under a pillow; Jesse kept on sawing logs and Ellen suggested where whoever was calling at 0100 could put that phone. Liz answered.

"mmfh Parker."

"Captain Parker you have an alert for an immediate combat reaction mission."

Liz woke up quickly. "Understood."

She rolled out of bed and quickly dressed. Her roommates were already back to sleep. She got to the operations room in 20 minutes. Beating most of the men in.

"3 Patrol Bases are under attack; One UK and One US Marine and One US Army. "

Liz looked around. "What is available?"

"Your company and the 2nd Platoon of C Company. Right now the rest of the Apache's are undergoing maintenance."

She grabbed Hustler and the 2nd Lt that had 2nd Platoon of C company, Gonzo Jones.

"Gonzo, You take the Marine Base –its closest. Hustler you take the Army base And I will take the UK base since its farthest. Let's rock."

They were in the air 30 minutes later. Liz firewalled the Apache's as word came back that the Taliban were really serious.

The Captain of the Welsh Guard had pulled his people back into the inner perimeter of their Patrol Base which was in an abandoned village. He figured he was outnumbered at least 2-1. Maybe more. He hoped those yank choppers got there soon.

"Spectre Lead to Patrol Base, What is your situation?"

"Patrol Base to Spectre Lead-we have pulled back into the inner perimeter; anyone you see running right now or moving is the enemy. I will throw an incendiary outside our center position."

"Roger that- will be there in 5 Mikes"

"OK People look for the incendiary burning. Outside of that area smoke anyone moving. Pug. You and Whistler take the outer area; Lobo and I will do the inner."

"Roger that."

Liz hovered at 200 feet right over the village; she could see the incendiary easily with the night vision goggles. She saw figures farther away moving in and Whistler and Pug started shooting at them. She carefully looked away from the incendiary; the night vision goggles were working well.

"Roger take the stick-I will be shooting."

"Roger."

Liz carefully picked her targets; one by one she popped them with 30MM HE; after about 5 minutes and 11 shots she could not see anyone to target.

"Doberman to everyone; what are you seeing?"

"Pug no more targets" "Lobo no more targets" "Whistler no more targets"

"Spectre Lead to Patrol Base, what is your situation now?"

"Patrol Base to Spectre Lead; I think you got them all."

"Roger That we will stay and look around for a bit. Will let you know when we leave."

"Roger and Thank You."

"You are more than welcome. Spectre Lead out."

The Captain waited until the Yanks left then poked his head out. He saw nothing then ordered a sound off. Every man answered. He decided to wait until light before moving out of the inner perimeter.

Liz checked fuel status; they were more than half full; then called to the other units.

"Doberman to Hustler, what is your status?"

"Headed home"

"Roger that." "Doberman to Gonzo, what is your status."

"Gonzo to Doberman, still engaged."

"Will be there in 15 Mikes."

"Roger."

Liz got her platoon moving at speed. C Company had had things a little rough; their Commander was good but the rest of the Company just was not as good as the other Companies in the Battalion. But that was reality.

They got close and saw that the Taliban were still trying; this was a good sized base and they had committed quite a few in the attack. The C Company detachment was working the far end. Liz would have had split them and had the other two elsewhere; it looked like two of the Apache's were just hovering and watching. Liz shook her head and then ordered her platoon to tackle the far end.

The Taliban were moving towards the base and were easy to see; Liz kept the choppers at 500 feet as they did not need to go lower.

"OK Guys lets line up and start shooting."

In just a few minutes the Taliban figures were running; which was stupid since that made them all that more obvious. Liz had the three others go after strays and seeing a group of them decided a little more was appropriate; as at the other base she had Roger take over the stick.

She sent a half dozen 2.75 rockets at the group and blew them to pieces. In just a few more minutes no targets were visible. She called out to the other unit.

"Doberman to Gonzo, what is your status?"

"Gonzo to Doberman, no more targets available, Bingo 30MM."

"Return to Base, Gonzo, we will stay for a bit and then go."

"Roger, Doberman."

"Doberman to base; any more business to be had?"

"Base to Doberman; glad you showed up. No more business."

"We will do a quick patrol of your perimeter; if we find nothing else we will go."

"Roger and thank you, Doberman."

They spent 10 more minutes slowly circling the perimeter but found nothing moving. Then they headed home.

Liz went to the debrief and listened quietly. Gonzo did not seem like a bad pilot or leader; just not a really good one. She remained behind when he left. She looked at the Battalion commander. He shook his head.

"I know. Jackman is pushing but I think it's just the matter of not having that good a group of pilots. Outside of him and his wingman, that Company is just average."

"I saw neither good shooting nor good procedures. He had two of his people just hovering when they could have been responding to other attacks on the perimeter."

"Probably 4 of them will be transferred out of Apache's."

"What about their copilots?"

"I think two of them could be good."

Liz went back and tried to get a couple more hours of sleep. Her ground crews would be busy for a good part of the morning; so they would not be flying anyway.

That morning the commander of the UK fire base called in to commend the Apache support they got; they had found 35 bodies they were pretty sure the Apache's had taken care of.

The Army base also commended the Apache's.

The Marine base was not so happy.

"That first group of Apache's were slow to respond and did not seem to want to spread out and take care of the various threats. The second group, Doberman and her people, really got the job done. That first group was fairly inaccurate as well from what we could see when it got light."

The Battalion commander prepared his report to Brigade.

Later that morning the Brigade Commander looked at his XO.

"C Company whenever Jackman is not right there just does not perform well."

"Nothing new; I do not think its Jackmans fault as much as it is we got some Dud Apache drivers there."

"Get the Battalion Commander and his XO up here."

The Battalion commander was not surprised at the summons; and Ed Griffith wasn't either.

The Brigade commander got right to the point.

"2nd Platoon of C company is not good. What can we do to fix it?"

"Do you want to take real action sir?"

"Yes."

"Then I recommend taking Rivers out of 2nd Platoon of A company and making him head of 2nd Platoon of C company. Demote Richards and Hulman and put them on the ground. Promote Charles and Dixon to pilots; they are certified as ready. We have two former copilots of Apache's in 6 Battalion, put them back in as copilots for the rest of the tour."

"Who replaces Rivers?"

"I need to talk to Parker on that."

"Start the paperwork and talk to her,"

Liz sat in the Battalion Commanders office. She sighed when told. Not that she was terribly surprised; she just hated to lose Rivers. She looked at him.

"Whistler for 2nd Platoon commander, I think he is ready. I take it we get one of the upgraded copilots?"

"Fireman Charles. He is ready."

"OK."

"Fireman" Charles was happy to get out of C Company and get an Apache with A company. Going from the worst to the best was good anyway; but everyone knew that Parker just had the touch and best of all was lucky. Liz called him into her office.

"First off welcome to A Company. You will be Pug's Wingman. We will probably have a mission this afternoon so we will have you sit it out while you and your copilot will get to know each other. You will fly this afternoon. I will need to evaluate you before you become operational. We are lucky in one respect that the weather looks bad for tomorrow and the next day. But we probably could fly local."

It was just a resupply mission that afternoon, but Liz did not like flying with only 3 in her platoon. Whistler got a milk run to get used to leading 2nd Platoon. Liz sighed; this was not something calculated to reduce stress.

Liz got back in time and then immediately took Fireman and his copilot up to start running them through things.

The weather was bad for the next two days but Liz was able to take up Fireman and start getting him used to things. She worked him hard for the next two days; and Whistler as well getting him used to Platoon command.

The evening of the third day the Battalion commander came to talk with her.

"How are they doing?"

"Whistler is doing well; I think he will be fine. As long as he is not operating on his own on anything really tricky. I can see that he will be fine; he just needs to work on being a leader. Time will be his friend."

"That is good. How about Charles?"

"I think he will be OK. His copilot is solid and that helps. Pug is a good teacher, I think. So the early signs are good."

The next couple of weeks were fortunately fairly quiet; Liz was very grateful as she worked to bring her company back to the level it had been. The good news was that C Company was looking better.

Of course after that things heated up again as the Taliban seemed to not want to just fade away during the winter as they usually did. And then more fun came from another source.

Liz had just written up her latest Eval on Fireman; Pug seemed to think he was coming along well and Liz saw no reason to doubt it. Whistler seemed to be picking up command well. So naturally just as she started to relax Captain Forrest stuck his head in her door.

"Liz, I know you have been busy lately reworking your company, but something has come up." Then he motioned her to follow him back to the Spec Ops compound.

She walked into the Spec Ops head shed and then almost stopped and stared.

Well this was going to be interesting.

"Captain Parker, welcome and take a seat."

"This is Wing Commander Simmons of the Royal Air Force and Major Rosythe of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you, Captain Parker." "Good to meet your Captain Parker; and just refer to my Unit as the 2nd Scots."

"To make this short and sweet there is a special operation going on in Helmand Province. RAF and 2nd Scots will be taking it to a Taliban stronghold. The Problem is that the Apache's that normally would be supporting them have had some maintenance problems that showed up suddenly. Some parts were faulty and unfortunately they are parts that are unique to the Brit Apache's. It will be at least a week until they are flying again. Which is a couple of days longer then they think they can delay this operation. It would have gone on in two days. If we can get things going it still will. The SAS will be transporting them and the 2nd Scots will be getting it done. They are used to operating with Apache's which is why you are being called in."

Liz nodded. "What base will we be operating out of?"

"Bastion".

This got sorted out quickly and the very next morning A Company was on its way to Bastion. The RAF had come in and picked up Grunt and the other crews and a batch of spare parts. It was clear that due to the lowered tempo around Kandahar and the upped Tempo in Helmand that they would be there for a while.

Liz had a quiet conversation with the Brigade commander before she left.

"Captain, you were requested by Name for this mission; and it did not originate from Spec Ops but the British. You apparently impressed them a couple weeks ago and also at Jakob earlier. I think there is a good chance you might spend most of the rest of your tour there. With C Company finally shaping up and things slowing down around here, we can probably spare you. And they need you."

When they got to Bastion and were situated, the RAF Wing commander made it a point to talk to Liz privately in his office.

"Captain, I believe your Brigade Commander informed you of the likelihood that you would be here for more than just this mission?"

"Yes Sir he did."

"We have lost the Dutch Apache contingent and all the others. So even when our Apache's are up and running again we will need you. The Marine attack helicopters are very busy supporting other operations; so we need more than the one company of RAF Apache's. We will get more Apache's here in 2 months but until then you are stuck here."

"I am not surprised sir; and it will be different which might be a good thing; we might have been getting a little complacent at Kandahar."

"Very good to hear, Captain. You are already well known here and trusted. And that is important."

Needless to Say the quarters were not as good as Kandahar; a tent. But it was a pretty good tent and had a heater which worked. So for this time of year it was not too bad. And they had been good enough to put the entire contingent from Kandahar in the same area. Meals were interesting since there was a real mixture available due to the multinational makeup of Bastion. There seemed to be someone from just about every NATO member and from some that were not. Liz decided that while she was here she would try to sample different things and get to know people from different countries. One of the down sides was that she was unable to email Max and Aliya. She got around that by figuring out how to contact one of the Crew every day or so and have them email her family.

They got put right to work the next day on the operation with the RAF and 2nd Scots. They had a fairly long meeting the night before with the entire company so as to make sure there were no missed communications. Liz noted that at Kandahar and with the US Army units, language had gotten fairly informal. The 2nd Scots and the RAF were more by the book. Which was probably best.

They took off at 0800; no dawn attack. That had been explained that since a dawn attack was expected, hitting a couple hours later had the advantage of surprise. Liz was not totally sure about that, but they might have a point. That was to be seen.

The RAF used Merlins for the assault; pretty good sized. Bigger than Blackhawks and tougher; not as big as Chinooks. 4 of them covered by Liz and her company, which might have been overkill. After talking things over, Liz and 1st Platoon would approach from the west and hover just outside the Village; and then the 2nd Scots would land and move in from the west. It was hoped that everyone would be fixated on the Apache's. 2nd Platoon would stay with them and flank them as they came in.

It worked like a charm. Liz watched as a number of armed Afghans took positions facing her Apache's; behind walls. Watching. Liz then slowly brought them in closer. She could see the Merlins land and the Scots move into the camp. Then she could see the moment that the Taliban realized they had been duped and turned towards where the Scots were already in the middle of the village.

"Doberman to 1st Platoon; use your 30MM and pot shoot them."

Roger had been getting better at shooting so this time he was working the cannon.

Caught between the two fires the fight went out of the Taliban and they tried to run. Which did not help them any. In 15 minutes it was all over.

"Ground Force to Spectre Lead; area secure."

"Spectre Lead Roger that. We will patrol the perimeter."

By habit Liz checked her fuel and saw that they were fine; this was only 40 miles from Bastion. By habit they now carried one external tank, so they had more than 2 hrs of flying time left.

Half an hour later they got the word for the Merlins to come in and pick them up. No casualties. Do to the closeness to Bastion, it had been decided not to have a MEDEVAC with the group. And today none was needed.

The mission debrief was indeed brief. The 2nd Scots commander said it all.

"They were so busy watching the Apache's that they never saw us until we opened fire. Caught between the two of us, it was all over quickly."

At noon that day Liz went to a mission briefing for that afternoon.

The same RAF unit would be doing this one; but those involved were SAS. Liz had heard that a fair number of the RAF really did not like to have much to do with the Crazy SAS. She could sort of see that there in the meeting. It was very stiff and proper on both sides. Only two Merlins and 2 troops of the SAS would be in this operation. Liz lingered after the meeting to talk to the Wing Commander.

"Forgive me if this is not polite, but I saw some serious tension between the RAF personnel and the SAS."

The Wing commander paused for a second, and then nodded.

"There have been problems. Both sides are at fault. But I can assure you that they will work together. It will not affect their performance. And you were right to ask."

"Thank you sir for your honesty."

This was more of a Recon so Liz took just the 1st Platoon. The 2nd platoon would remain on call.

It turned out to be pretty much a bust; the village they went to was completely empty; Liz and Lobo buzzed it first and saw nothing; then the SAS moved quickly through it and also found nothing. In half an hour they were on the way back to base. As she got close she was told that 2nd Platoon had responded to a call for help from a patrol that had been ambushed. They had taken casualties and a MEDEVAC was about to leave; checking her fuel status Liz told them they would accompany the MEDEVAC.

Whistler was tense; the patrol had taken casualties; they had gotten there in time to catch a large number of the Taliban out in the open and Whistler had let them all use some 2.75's which took care of the problem. Now they had to cover them. When he heard that Liz and the rest of the Company would be there he relaxed slightly. He was still not comfortable in a command situation.

Liz kept an eye on the fuel, but they were still good when they arrived to wear the Unit was waiting to have their wounded taken out. Whistler sounded glad Liz was there; he was not yet comfortable with command. Liz was going to quietly let him know that it was a danger sign when one became comfortable in command in a combat situation; that bred arrogance and carelessness.

The MEDEVAC took the four wounded and Liz told Whistler to escort them back while she stayed with the Patrol as they headed back to their patrol base.

The LT looked up as the American Apache's buzzed the area. They had really come in the proverbial nick of time. It was right uncomfortable there for a bit.

Liz was able to stay with the Patrol right to its base before they had to get back to camp. She kept 2 of her people right with them while she and Lobo wandered around the area, looking for anything suspicious. Nothing was seen.

After the debrief Liz made it a point to talk to Whistler.

"If you are worried about when you will become comfortable in command it might take a long time. I have never gotten there. And after talking to some experienced commanders, I have come to the realization that if you are you are more than likely to be in trouble of becoming complacent and careless."

No more missions were mentioned that afternoon and Liz decided to look around and see what the Camp had to offer. It did not take long for her to realize that the Marines in the camp next to Bastion, called Leatherneck, had it a lot tougher than she had it here. Yes she was in a tent; but there were a lot of amenities around that were not in Leatherneck.

She got back to her tent in time to find a message for her to come to Operations. That was a pretty good sized building that had been completed not too long ago. Up to now everything had been talked about at the tents near the airstrip. She had a feeling this was a more formal meeting. She was proven right when upon being shown the conference room she saw the Camp Commander and several other very high ranks. All British.

The Colonel in command stood up and greeted her.

"Pleased to meet you, Captain Parker. Very glad to have you and your company here."

She found that the Wing Commander was there along with a Group Captain, who was the overall RAF aviation commander there. And the head of the SAS detachment there, a colonel; and the commander of the 2nd Scots, another colonel. She felt very junior.

The Group captain started it off.

"This is a meeting to formulate an operation to take control of the situation around Pashkar which has deteriorated lately. The intent is to knock the Taliban back on its heels. That is simple to say, less simple to do."

What came out of that meeting was a plan for multiple attacks on known Taliban strongholds to last about a week, depending on results. The SAS and 2nd Scots would both be involved hitting different targets. Liz would split her company to cover both. The targets had been identified and a tentative schedule agreed on. It would start the following day. A pre dawn strike by SAS at one stronghold followed by a morning strike on another by the 2nd Scots. Then an afternoon hit by the 2nd Scotts and the SAS on separate targets. 12 had been identified; it was decided to try and hit four on the first day and then see what the second day brought; it was thought two at least. A signal by the Group Captain kept Liz behind after everyone else left.

"The Wing Commander informed me that you noticed the problems with the SAS and the RAF. It is not something that will be solved soon, let alone here. Now as the company commander it is us to you to assign your assets as you see fit. But I highly recommend that you accompany the SAS on their strikes."

"I had already decided to do that, sir. My second platoon commander is new to his command after a situation with another company required some transfers and mine was raided for my XO, who was 2nd platoon commander. He is learning and getting better but he is green. I had already intended to send him with the Scots."

"Very good. I can see the decision to request your company was the correct one."

Liz reflected that sometimes it was not altogether healthy to have a reputation.

The next 5 days were extremely busy; it was all Grunt and the others could do to keep their Apache's up and running. In addition to the 12 missions eventually performed, they had also gone out on four immediate responses for Air Support.

The first day started out well as both assaults had no casualties and did hurt the Taliban some, if not as much as had been hoped. The second attack with the Scots also went well. The second assault that afternoon with the SAS was not so good.

Liz definitely noticed the difference with the SAS; she had heard that the US Marine Recon teams were much the same way. Both thought faster was better in assaults. She noted with interest that the US Army Special Forces did not seem to be as aggressive; more cautious.

The attack on the second target was right at 1400, and they had to fly up a valley some to get to it, between two fairly good sized foothills not far from the Mountains; this was an assault that went out 75 miles so she decided on 2 aux tanks. There had been thought of not taking many hellfire's; of maybe only having one chopper in each platoon carry any; but Liz had resisted that. Due to the distance a British MEDEVAC had accompanied them; she had a hunch the SAS felt somewhat insulted by that. It was a good thing they had. As usual Liz had brought in Pug and Fireman to buzz the village while she and Lobo accompanied the assault. That had worked initially, but it was clear early on that resistance would be much greater here. All four of the Apache's did some sniping, but the SAS and Taliban were too close for much else. It looked like a very vicious firefight and it was. The SAS smashed through the Taliban but it cost. Liz was right on top of the fight at the end, and used her 30MM to support the SAS as it finished off the Taliban. The MEDEVAC was called in immediately and took off with 9 wounded out of the 34 SAS that had landed. The rest of the SAS pulled out an hour later. Liz had sent Pug and Fireman back with the MEDEVAC.

Liz was very happy to hear that none of the wounds were life threatening when she got back to the Base. In the debrief she noted that the SAS commander was very blithe.

"They stood up and came right at us; which is much preferred. I am obliged to Captain Parker and her Apache's for very good close support. It clearly had an effect on them as they tried to watch the sky while at the same time trying to fight us. Did not work too well."

Personally Liz felt that the SAS had had some unnecessary casualties. She quietly talked to the Wing Commander later.

"Sir, it seemed to me that the SAS was happy to stand and fight with the Taliban."

He shook his head. "Lately we are getting that too much. I am very obliged as well, Captain Parker, for your ground support. I have no doubt the SAS casualties would have been markedly higher otherwise."

The responses for immediate air support had been nerve wracking; two of them had come at night; responding to assaults on small forward patrol posts. Liz had taken both of them. They had been a little hairy, especially the second one which had her personally taking out 4 Taliban fighters that has some members of the Welsh Guards pinned down. They had been within 10 feet or so of the Soldiers, who reported that they felt the blasts and were splattered some of the remains.

The other two were handled by Whistler while she was out on other assaults. They had not been as tough, and Whistler had done well. She could see his growing confidence in himself as a commander.

At the end of the 6th day, the weather got bad enough to ground everyone and Liz was able to actually take a breath. She had been glad to see Ellen on the 5th day, who came in with more spare parts for the Apache's as well as more of Liz's clothes and other things which she had asked for when finding out she would be there for a while. Of course she had had to take off on another mission after only getting a few minutes to talk with Ellen.

"And on the seventh day HE rested." Ted grinned at Liz as they sat in the mess hall on the morning of the seventh day; it was raining some and windy and overall not flyable. Apache's could have if necessary, but no one did anything on days like this; they were so rare. Even the Taliban sat home snug.

"Well I will take it. Being able to sleep in this morning was REALLY nice."

Ted nodded. He had been a little concerned about Liz; she insisted on taking the night missions while still flying the day missions as well. Grunt was barely able to keep her bird flying. She looked tired, but at least this morning she was looking more rested. He noticed the interesting Looks Liz was getting. There were very few women at this camp; and frankly Liz was clearly the youngest and best looking he had seen. Apparently the rest of the male population agreed.

"So what do they think was the results of the operation?"

Liz shrugged. "Too early to tell. The SAS commander was happy. The others seemed reasonably content."

Ted shook his head. "You hear how crazy special ops types are supposed to be; but most of the ones I have seen did not appear that way. But these SAS's here do."

"Yeah. They are definitely closer to the edge. I have not worked with Marine Recon but I hear they are about the same."

"They like you though."

Liz rolled her eyes. Things got around so fast in a war zone, she had found. The SAS had invited her to dinner one night after their mission. From what Liz had gathered that was VERY rare for them to do. It had been interesting; the SAS were not as wild out of a fight as in it, but you could see the edge there even when supposedly relaxing. They had coaxed her into talking about her time in Iraq at the convoy fight. After describing what she had done, the SAS Colonel had nodded approvingly.

"Considering you had truck drivers there, that was very well thought out and done. Letting them lay there and scream was a very good touch. I have no doubt that sapped the resolve of the others and did buy you time."

As she left she was told by several of them that she would do well with them as a Trooper. She realized that that was high praise from them.

The bad weather lasted for two days and everyone was happy for the rest. Grunt especially. He told Liz that if she tried that many missions in such a short period of time again, her Apache would not hold up. Liz told him she would try and remember that.

When operations resumed after that, the tempo definitely had slowed down. It was the beginning of December, and the weather was very distinctly getting colder. Especially at night.

Liz liked only doing a mission a day; but she did not like so much having to send Hustler off on his own as much as she had to. But so far he had done well. What was not fun was the continuing silent feud between the SAS and the RAF. And it was worse as both at the unit level tried to put Liz and her Apache's in the middle. Each subtly trying to get her closer to their point of view on operations and thus support them in mission planning. She saw both points of view, and tried to be even handed. It was tiring. She found that at least her efforts were appreciated by all sides. The Wing Commander especially.

"I realize that it is not right that you have to be the mediator, but it is working well. I want you to know that it is very much appreciated here and at the higher levels."

So Liz sucked it up and played the game. As was her wont, she put together a plan on how to do this. She kept notes on what worked and did not work from each point of view, and then gave serious thought to combining them the best that she could. Within a couple of weeks, those planning sessions became about as choreographed as Kabuki Theatre; or professional wrestling on a good day. The SAS would propose this and the RAF would counter; or vice versa. Liz would then take part of each proposal and combine them as much as possible.

One good thing was that after two weeks, the RAF Apache's were operational again and that took the load off. In a meeting with the detachments CO, it was agreed that the RAF Apache's would respond to emergency calls for air support, and only if they were not available would Liz's people go. In return A Company took most of the daytime missions. The Dutch were due back with their Apache's in January, so that was figured as the time when A Company could return to Kandahar.

The SAS continued to have the most dangerous missions, but even that had decreased some since Liz had become a buffer. They liked that she was quite willing to take her Apache's in first and draw the enemy attention. While that tactic had never worked quite as well as it did the first time, it was still quite effective. What they also tried was one group come in and hover and the second come from another direction, and then the real assault came from a third. Misdirection seemed to work well on the Taliban. The SAS commander believed that it came from being inflexible fanatics. Liz thought that had validity.

Since Liz had made it a point to take as many of the SAS missions as she could, Hustler spent more time with the 2nd Scots. And that time allowed them to work well together; Liz was glad to see that his confidence as regarding command continued to increase.

Christmas came, and the camp had a big Christmas Eve party. Which also had a dance. Liz found that there as a grand total of 21 women there and about 1000 guys. She was glad the weather had turned bad for the next day, as she was absolutely worn out from dancing with about 50 different men. It started at 1800 and went to midnight, and 6 hours of dancing will wear anyone out. Ellen had sent Liz a simple black dress that fit her; and would not tell her where she could have possibly found it. Liz looked great in it; which was bad in a way as she found out that she was the only woman in a dress there. She was very definitely the belle of the ball. Ted told her that the MP's had to break up about a dozen fistfights from guys that wanted to dance with her but got cut out. Liz really thought that was BS but she found out that a little of that at least was true. She saw a couple of black eyes in the next few days.

They did not start flying again until the 27th, and had to make a bunch of resupply runs. Not much happened that day. But on the 28th came another mission that Liz would have as soon avoided.

As per usual it seemed, it was an SAS mission into the foothills. Another believed Taliban stronghold. 4 Merlins, one Medevac and Liz's company. Since only one mission was scheduled that day Liz decided to keep them all together; plus this had not happened much in the last month or so and she wanted to see firsthand how Whistler was doing as a Platoon commander.

It was very cold; but clear. They left at 0600 and intended to hit the target one hour after dawn. The target was 90 miles away; so Liz had them put on two auxiliary tanks. One pod of 2.75 and one of Hellfires. Liz took her platoon in high and visible; the village was in a sort of crook and could only be approached really from one direction; but after looking at satellite photos and maps, it had been decided that her Apaches and the MEDEVAC would be seen coming from the expected direction; the MEDEVAC definitely behind and safe but visible; while Hustler and the Merlins would come over the hill and hit the village from the rear.

So Liz made it obvious but still came in fast then stopped and hovered at about 500 feet just past the boundary of the village. And that is when it all hit the fan.

Liz was looking to see if any movement could be spotted; and so some people running, some with weapons. At that moment the windshield in front of her cracked and then felt like someone had hit her helmet with a sledgehammer – dazed, she called for Roger to take the stick. Shaking her head her vision cleared as she heard Ted call to her.

"Lobo to Doberman, what is your condition?"

"Doberman to Lobo, windshield hit. Did you get it?"

"Lobo to Doberman. I plastered it with 30MM."

"Where was it?"

"That slightly taller building on this end of the village; you can see dust rising."

Liz blinked and while her head was hurting her vision was clear. She identified the building and then told Roger. "Going to take out that building with a Hellfire."

And she did. Making a nice explosion. Her windshield was cracked all over and had a couple of holes in it. Must have been a 23MM down there; nothing smaller could have done that. It would take several hits from a 12.7MM in the same place to do the same amount of damage a few 23MM would do. She put her hand up to her helmet and found part of it missing and probed with her hand a little and brought it down; it was covered in blood. She pulled off her helmet-and that HURT- and took a cloth scarf she had and quickly tied it over where it hurt the most. Then put her helmet back on, carefully.

"Spectre Lead to Ground Pounders, what is your status?"

"Ground to Spectre Lead, objective almost secured."

"Doberman to Hustler, what is your status?"

"Hustler to Doberman, no targets left; village looks secure."

Liz took a deep breath; her head really was hurting. She ought to order Roger to take them back to base; but for the moment she would wait.

Ted was able to get a good look at Liz's Apache; the pilot's windshield was a mess. "Lobo to Doberman, how are you?"

"Doberman to Lobo, I think I picked up some glass fragments. My windshield is toast. Otherwise operational."

"Roger, Doberman." He was going to keep a sharp eye on her.

"Liz, how are you?" came from Roger.

"I am OK. But as messed up as my windshield is you will be flying back and landing."

"Roger that."

"Ground to Spectre Lead, target secured. MEDEVAC requested."

"Roger, Ground."

Liz waited as patiently as she could with her head hurting like it did; but it did not seem as bad. She found closing her eyes helped. It was fairly bright and her visor was broken so the sun was annoying. She sent Hustler off with the Medevac. 15 minutes after it left the SAS was ready to go.

The trip back was OK as long as Liz kept her eyes closed. As they got close she called the Base to inform them that they needed to contact her Crew chief so that he could order a new pilots windshield. Liz had figured that she had taken some glass to the side of her head above her right ear. So when base asked her condition she was rather blasé about it.

"The glass took a chunk out of my helmet and gave me a cut to the side of the head. It is not bad, though."

So when Roger landed and they moved to the normal parking spot, she noticed not only Grunt but some medics there as well. Talk about over reaction. Oh well.

Grunt looked hard as Liz's Apache came in; the windshield did look like it had been hit several times. No other damage apparent. He was right there as soon as Roger shut down the engine with the British Medic right beside him. He got the hatch open and stood for a moment, stunned.

As soon as roger shut the engine down Liz carefully took off her helmet, and looked at it. Well, need a new flight helmet. The right side about just above the ear was mostly gone in a gouge that was a good 2-3 inches wide. She looked at that and realized that this was a Kevlar helmet; glass could not have done that.

Grunt stared at his pilot who had taken off her helmet; the scarf was tied around her head above her ear and it was blood soaked; it had been a light tan scarf. He quickly stepped forward.

"Liz, this looks bad. Let me help you out."

"It is probably looking worse than it is; I have a headache but that is all. I can get out on my own." But Grunt insisted on helping her out. The Medic pounced on her as soon as she was on the ground, examining her.

The other pilots and copilots of her company were crowding around, shocked. Liz looked like something out of an old war movie. There was blood all over her head and the scarf was soaked and there was some on her flight suit as well.

Hustler saw a big box and he and his copilot grabbed it and hustled and forced themselves through the crowd and placed it right next to the Chopper and the medic forced Liz to sit on it while he looked over the wound.

Off to the side a BBC Camera crew had been filming; but this looked much more interesting as they noticed the medic; and then one of them pointed out the Apache with the busted windscreen. They got a good shot of her being helped out of her ship and the two other pilots bringing a big box for her to sit on while the medic checked her out.

Liz kept her eyes closed while the Medic pocked and prodded and asked questions. Liz answered the first ones then said

"Enough about me, Grunt how is my chopper?"

"Liz…."

"Oh, come on this is not bad. How bad is my bird?"

He sighed. "Well until the crowd leaves I cannot see for sure. If it is only the windshield we have spares at Kandahar and they can get one to me in one day. Now the adhesive filler will take one day to cure. So figure two, maybe three days."

"Well, nuts, I will have to steal one then for the time being. I have to be with my company. I can't stay on the ground."

"Well, that is going to keep you on the ground for a couple of days anyway."

The medic then spoke up. "Yes it will. Now you will be coming to the hospital for XRays and to have that stitched up. We will need to make sure there is no glass in the wound, though I doubt it. You were grazed more likely by a bullet."

"Yeah, when I saw the helmet I thought that might be the case."

Grunt reached in and pulled her helmet out. There was a collective gasp as they saw the gouge in its side and the blood on it. The BBC cameraman also caught that and the reporter had gotten close enough to catch almost all the conversation as well.

So Liz was bundled aboard the ambulance and driven to the Hospital.

Ted was about to go when he noticed Roger standing there, shaken. He went to him and pulled him away.

"She said take the stick; then she shot that hellfire and blew that building up. She seemed fine. I did not notice a thing."

The BBC man caught that as well.

Grunts call to Kandahar went right to the Battalion commander who immediately ordered a spare windshield set to be taken to Bastion that day.

Word spread and Jesse convinced her Battalion commander to let her fly it to Bastion. She was in the air in 3 hours and got to Bastion by noon. She got right to Grunt who was waiting at the strip.

"Liz got a huge chunk taken out of her helmet above the right ear; I found a 23MM rd, TP, embedded in the armor plate right behind her. Funny, if it had been explosive it would have detonated on the windshield and just blown a hole in it. Would have caused a lot less of a problem. It missed taking off the side of Liz's head by about an inch."

With nothing else to do but wait Grunt had already gotten the shattered pieces of the windshield off and he and his crew began to replace the windshield.

Meanwhile Liz had been sat down and the wound carefully cleaned and then stitched up after they took an XRAY to make sure there was no other foreign bits in the wound area. Then they made her lie down and rest.

The word spread to Liz's friends and they all began to try and find out what had happened and how she was. Her new friends at Bastion began to gather at the Hospital. One of the doctors noted this.

"Whoever this yank is she is very popular."

"You remember a couple of years ago that American pilot saving that young girl that had been shot?"

"That is her?"

"Yes."

"She is so small!"

Meanwhile the doctor in charge had to give in and allow some of her friends to visit. That consisted of Ted, Roger and Hustler.

Liz was lying there with her eyes closed; seeming very small and vulnerable. They stopped, wondering if she was sleeping.

Liz heard someone come into her room and she opened her eyes; her head was not hurting as much but they had told her that only minor pain medication was indicated for the time being. She spotted them and smiled.

Liz opened her eyes and looked at them and smiled and suddenly the room got a lot brighter. She seemed clear eyed and if not for the bandage around her head she would have looked fine; she was not in a gown but just had her tank top on in the bed with the covers pulled up.

"Hi Guys."

She got a parade of visitors after that; the SAS and RAF and 2nd Scots.

Then a couple of hours later when the Doctor had said enough visitors Jesse managed to talk her way in.

"Liz; you look comfortable."

She opened her eyes and smiled at her friend.

"Hey, room service and peace and quiet and a soft bed. This is not so bad."

The Brigade commander talked to the 1st Battalion Commander.

"Not sure how long she will be out; it will take a day or two to fix her Apache.'

"Knowing her they might have to tie her up to keep her on the ground."

"The problem would be if they have to do a mission for the whole company; there is no one there who can do it. 2nd Platoon commander is way too green."

"That is true. I can send Griffith over and if necessary he can take one of the other Apache's."

Meanwhile the BBC camera crew and reporter were getting background as fast as they could. Once they realize the injured pilot was Captain Parker, THE Captain Parker, they pulled out all the stops. They got the PR officer of Bastion to ok the story. It got sent to the London studio where it went on the 6PM news.

There the director had scared up a Apache pilot from the RAF to talk about it.

"News from the war in Afghanistan. Now some think that the talk of this war being a coalition war being a put on, should visit Camp Bastion in Helmand Province. American Army Apache's supporting British RAF and Ground forces. Today, actually just hours ago, we received some very descriptive pictures and sound from that base. To give the background, this morning a SAS troop assaulted a suspected Taliban stronghold; once they attacked they found out that it was not suspected at all; it was true. The American Apache helicopters, from 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Brigade normally stationed in Kandahar but this company, Company A, has been supporting British troops and the RAF at Bastion for the past two months. This company is commanded by Captain Elizabeth Parker, famed for the saving of that Afghan 8 year old girl shot by a Taliban official in footage seen many times over the last two years. Captain Parker adopted that girl; and she is back in Afghanistan on her second tour. Here is our reporter on the scene."

"We do not have all the facts but we do have this footage of when Captain Parker returned to this base."

They then showed the Apache coming to rest, zooming in on the shattered windshield, and then the hatch opening up and Liz getting out of the helicopter, blood stained scarf and blood on her flight suit. They saw two of her fellow pilots manhandle a big box for her to sit on. And then her damaged and bloody helmet. And they heard clearly her conversations.

Then the picture switched back to the studio where a former RAF Apache pilot told the audience what was what.

The American Media was not slow to pick this up and demanded answers. At that particular time there was no American Media at camp Bastion or next door at Leatherneck. So they copied the BBC account and ran with it on the late news and then the morning news.

Nancy Parker got a call from Maria; they got the BBC news on their satellite and had been tipped off by friends about it. Max found out when the PR officer at Campbell called him to inform him that his wife had been wounded but only slightly.

The SAS commander was nudged by Captain Forrest to come by and offer Liz the use of a satellite phone. She called Max; and talked to him and then Aliya; assuring them she was going to be fine. It had been two months since she had been able to talk to them. She then called her mother and reassured her. Then Maria and Isabelle and Tess. Finally done she thanked the SAS commander.

He responded by saying simply "We take care of our own."

Liz was cheered up first by the visit with Jesse then the phone calls home. She began to pester the doctor about getting out of there and was told if she was ok in the morning she would be let go. She convinced Jesse on her way out to have Grunt come by and tell her the condition of her chopper. He came by and told her that nothing else was busted and that they already had the new windshield in place, just needed 24 hours for the seal adhesive to cure and harden. So she would only miss one day if the docs cleared her. She convinced Ted when he came by later to call Kandahar and tell them she would miss one day and that is it. He grudgingly agreed but only if she promised to stay put and rest that night. That was easy as the Doctor gave her a stronger pain med and she was soon asleep.

The Brigade Commander called the Battalion commander.

"Talked to one of her pilots; her apache will be down for just tomorrow and odds are she will be back flying the next day."

"Then I will keep Griffith here."

Liz woke up the next morning, a little confused and still a little woozy from the medication. She lay there slowly remembering things. After a little while a nurse came in and noticed she was awake. She wished her a good morning and told Liz that she would get the doctor. Liz looked for a clock and saw it was around 0700. She had been conked for 11 hours. No wonder she was woozy.

The doctor came in and checked her over.

"Well, you seem very alert and if you have only minor discomfort then we can let you out."

Liz grinned. "That is good news. I need to check on my company and my chopper."

About half an hour later Ted showed up with her jacket and took her to the mess hall where she proceeded to eat a huge breakfast. Ted was amazed at what she put away.

"Liz you must have a hollow leg- because there is no place else you could have put that much food."

"Hey, I ate nothing from a quick MRE yesterday morning until now."

They then headed down to the flight line; he told Liz that as far as he knew right now there was no mission. The only one he knew about the RAF Apache's would be covering. They found Grunt checking out her chopper.

"So will it be ready for tomorrow?"

"Yes, in a pinch it would be ready tonight."

"Well that is good. I guess I can bum around today. It is really nice not being buried in paperwork like I would be at Kandahar."

Liz found herself talking to a lot of people who seemed to know what happened; finally one of the RAF pilots told her that the BBC had done a bit on her. Liz wondered if there was someone UP THERE that just liked to mess with her; talk about lousy luck.

Going to the mess hall was not a lot of fun; luckily her whole company was with her. She felt like the prize attraction at a zoo.

The Brigade Commander and the 1st Battalion commander were looking at the official report. The Battalion commander shook his head.

"That is about as close to it as you can get and walk away."

The SAS Commander and the RAF Commander were having a talk.

"She deserves some kind of commendation; she never lost control or command."

The RAF commander nodded.

"I am going to mention that in the report to the 101st Brigade Commander. And add to that the fact that she has comported herself tremendously her whole time here. Her company has performed at the highest standard possible."

"I heard something that I checked out; and contacted someone I know in Special Forces to confirm it. Not one allied person has died in any mission that she and her company have been part of. Not one pilot, crewmember, soldier, trooper, anyone."

The RAF Commander blinked at that.

"And her company from all accounts has been involved in as many if not more operations as any other attack helicopter company."

"I think that fact needs to be elevated."

The next day the Brigade Commander looked at the report. Then called in his XO.

"I want this checked."

Later that day his XO reported to him.

"It is true sir. Remarkable."

"I think she must be a favorite of the Gods of War."

The next day came and they had two missions; as usual it seemed one for the SAS and one for the 2nd Scots. As usual Liz took the SAS and Hustler took the 2nd Scots.

It was almost the identical mission as the one she had been wounded on; but Liz forced herself to not think about it. This village was only 50 miles from Bastion, and it was in more open terrain so there were more choices of approach. Liz took her Apache's around and came from the opposite direction that Bastion was and came in at 1000 feet and obvious. And hovered; just like last time. This time nothing happened except a movement of armed men to that side of the village facing the waiting, hovering Apaches. And the SAS came from the other side and poured into the village. When the armed men began to turn to face the other way and fire, Liz and her platoon cut loose. In 15 minutes the call came.

"Ground to MEDEVAC, respond. Target secured."

Liz ordered Hustler to send two with the MEDEVAC when it took off.

30 minutes later the call came in for extraction. And they headed back; then Liz got a call from Bastion that a Patrol base needed help about 50 miles away. Liz ordered Hustler to stay with the flight and she took her platoon off to hunt.

The patrol base was almost identical to the one that she had gotten wounded at; and the Taliban were all around it. Liz took Lobo to the right while Pug took Fireman to the left.

"Spectre Lead to Patrol Base, what is your position?"

"Patrol Base to Spectre Lead, we are concentrated in the village center, everyone on the perimeter is unfriendly."

"Roger that, we will see if we can even up things."

"Doberman to all, use 2.75's on perimeter; let's see if we can run them off"

Liz told roger to lay down 2.75's along the perimeter while she started pot shooting Taliban. Liz became Nemesis, putting her mark on one after another. In 20 minutes it looked like they had done as much as they could.

"Spectre Lead to Patrol Base; what is your situation? We have thinned out the perimeter."

"Patrol Base to Spectre, we have no more incoming fire."

"Roger that, we will patrol the perimeter and look some more"

"OK, people, lets circle the perimeter and look for unfriendlies. Snipe them if you see them."

After another 15 minutes Liz looked at the fuel situation and knew they had to leave.

"Spectre Lead to Patrol Base; we are at bingo on fuel. Will have to go."

"Patrol Base to Spectre Lead, we are secure and Thank You."

"Roger Patrol base, we are gone."

So they headed back to base. The wound on the side of her head itched and hurt a little, but otherwise Liz felt fine. She had to work some to scrounge up another helmet.

Meanwhile the story about Liz percolated for a couple of days in the US and then would have died if FOX NEWS had not gotten the interesting tidbit about the record of Liz and her company. They never admitted where they got that from but there were suspicions since Fox News had very close ties with Special Forces.

This is Fox News Tonight. Captain Elizabeth Parker, Commander of A company, 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Brigade, currently stationed at Kandahar Airfield, but at the moment assisting the UK forces at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province, was once again in the news for this time surviving a very near call. This is courtesy of the BBC." Then they showed the report.

"Captain Parker is someone that seems to be around where the fire is hottest; in Iraq, in Northern Afghanistan, and now Southern Afghanistan. She has been decorated more times for Valor then all the other women in American History combined. She is by some counts the most decorated member of the United States Military since 2001. But one achievement dwarfs all the others: counting the fight defending the convoy, no American or allied soldier, Marine, Airman, anyone, has died while in her command or under the protection of her Company of Apache attack Helicopters. That includes all the missions that she has escorted and all the missions she and her company has responded to for fire support to bases under attack. Including the time she rescued the young girl that she eventually adopted. If she is there, our people do not die."

The DOD PR chief happened to see that personally; he groaned. That was the universal response that everyone in any PR function had to that report. Fox News on occasion spread it very thick; this one was several feet thick. And yet it was true.

The SECDEF was told this; and groaned. The Congressman was told this; and nodded. CENTCOM groaned; and so on down the chain.

The Brigade commander put down the phone. He sat there and thought. Then he called in his XO and his PR officer.

"Fox News had a little Blurb about Captain Parker. I want this checked out with a fine toothed comb." And then he told them. His XO looked thoughtful. The Brigade Commander glared at him. He put up both his hands.

"Sir, I heard this bandied around just lately. I thought it was interesting but I was not sure it was true. But the more I thought about it, the more I began to think that it might be true."

"Well then CONFIRM IT!"

The President was informed of this and demanded the same thing. This order went down the chain of command.

Commander, Bastion, put down his phone. Pondered for a while, then called in his chief of security.

"I want a protection detail assigned to Captain Parker. With the notoriety she is getting, I do not want to take any chances."

At a hastily called meeting of the Commander of the RAF Regiment there at Bastion, as well as the Commanders of all Ground units and the SAS, he informed them of his directive. At that point both the commanders of both the SAS detachment and the 2nd Scots requested the honor of forming that detail. It was then agreed to trade off; each would take responsibility every other day. The SAS then demanded the honor of the first day, since she was usually working with them. It was agreed.

Liz was finishing up the paperwork that seemed to find her no matter where she was at a borrowed desk in operations when four members of the SAS marched up to her. She looked at them with raised eyebrows then stood and returned their rigid salute.

"Captain Parker, by order of the MOD, we are your protective detail."

Liz sighed. "Very well. Grab a seat; I should be done in a few minutes; after which I will eat then retire for the evening."

They did not sit; instead two members were stationed outside the office door and two others were stationed inside.

Liz felt very ridiculous with her detail following her everywhere.

Needless to say, Ted and the others got a kick out of it. Especially when the four members, who were switched out every 4 hours, stationed themselves outside her humble tent.

Of course before long people were taking pictures of it.

The next day was New Years; and there were no missions scheduled. And luckily no requests for support came in. So they had a nice day overall; Liz feeling hunted.

The President read the report. Then looked at SECDEF.

"Remarkable."

SECDEF nodded. "I had this researched and from what has been found to this point, no other Company matches that record. None appear to come close. Now there have not been that many Apache Companies overall; but starting in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2001, there are still a fair number that have been deployed. Now it is very possible that some deployed in Afghanistan from 2002 on might have the same record; for a while it was pretty quiet there. I have some people checking into that. But that just underscores what A company of the 1st Battalion has accomplished in two tours in Afghanistan combined. Both coming during times of very high intensity warfare. And furthermore, there has not been one instance of anyone claiming that that company has killed an innocent or a civilian. That is certainly possible; but no one has come forward."

"I want this thoroughly researched."

"Yes sir."

That fact about Liz percolated the media for a while longer, while there was some serious digging into reports in more than a few areas to see if possibly anyone else could make such a claim. But several military authorities agreed that accomplishing this during a time of intense combat was nothing short of remarkable.

Maria and the others were talking one day at a get together. Maria was unusually pensive.

"We all felt that Liz was very special. We knew it from just about the first day we met her back in 2001. I think we are just now finding out how special."

The Crew was quietly contemplating that same thing New Years Day.

Vicki was wondering how this could happen. Ellen was contemplative.

"Of course part of it is luck. No one could say otherwise. But then how much of it is because of how much she cares; and how hard she works?"

Jesse nodded.

"Most of it. She outworks just about anyone I have ever met. And you remember a couple of times that Liz has mentioned the Gods of War. Just maybe those gods have favorites. And they bless their favorites with just a touch of luck. Just enough so that a bullet wounds instead of kills."

Combat resumed on the 2nd day of 2011. Resupply was the name of that day; and the British Apache's shared the load with Company A. Three separate resupply missions to FOBs. But very little trouble was found. Liz was quite happy with that.

That night, a call went out for fire support and as per the agreement the RAF Apache's went out and got it done. That meant that the next day the load fell on A Company. Once again the SAS and 2nd Scots hit villages. As per usual Liz went with the SAS. It was a small village and it ended up virtually empty. Liz was happy about that. The Scots had a more difficult time but still cleaned theirs out without casualties. When Liz got back she picked up her detail and then went to the Debrief; after it the RAF commander spoke to her.

"The Dutch are arriving with 8 Apache's in a week. And we will probably get some others in a few weeks after that. With the relative quiet period we have at this time due to the weather, you should be able to head back to Kandahar in two weeks."

"Sir I will be happy to be in a more comfortable place; but I will be sad to leave those I have fought beside here."

"I can guarantee, Captain Parker, we will miss you."

And two weeks later Liz and A Company headed back to Kandahar. A very fine party was thrown by the SAS, RAF and 2nd Scots for them. Liz was extremely sad to leave Bastion and the very good friends she had made there. Each of those had made her and her company honorary members.

Those two weeks had been rather sparse in missions; hardly any of the Apache's had fired anything.

Liz was happy to be back at Kandahar for several reasons: a more comfortable place to sleep; being with the crew; and not having a protective detail. She was quite glad her greeting was low key. She would not have been glad to know what was going on high over her head.

SECDEF looked at his aide.

"This has been confirmed.

"Yes sir, even during the very quiet periods in Afghanistan it did not happen. In both you could find some that lost no Americans on their watch; but allies were lost. In its current tour, A company has not had one single death of anyone that was not an enemy. Not a civilian or innocent that we can find. If you look at the period just operating with the British, they have not lost anyone during that period either, and they had until A Company arrived a rather high casualty count when you looked at the percentage of troops involved. Now this current tour of the 101st Airborne has been remarkably absent of casualties; but they have had some. Every single one happened on someone else's watch. Special Operations while A Company has been involved had no casualties as regards KIA. Or even killed in accidents. In her last tour Captain Parker was heavily involved with Special Operations Missions; and none were lost there either. It can be put no other way; Captain Parker has the touch of Midas; only instead of gold her gift is life."

The Battalion commander had called a meeting of his Unit Commanders.

"Combat operations will cease on 15 February, just one month from now. It looks like we should all be home on or about 10 March. At this time there is minimal combat, but we cannot relax or grow complacent. I expect 100% effort and efficiency right through the last combat mission."

Liz was back to her office very happily and greeted her first sergeant.

"Now I am really glad to be back. I have someone to dump paperwork on."

He grinned at her. "Paperwork? Never heard of it."

Liz was a little surprised how easily she slipped back into the swing of things; but she was not going to complain. 17 January and they were back to business as usual; a 2nd Brigade assault on a suspected Taliban stronghold near the mountains. It was big enough that Liz was told to take her whole company. In the mission planning; she asked to do the same as they had been doing at Helmand; using a platoon as a diversion. It was agreed.

5th Battalion had 14 hawks in the assault with 4 in reserve and 2 MEDEVACS; Liz realized that she had gotten used to the lesser resources at Bastion. But she was happy to have them. The Crew was in the assault group so Liz was a little tenser than usual but one would not have known by looking at her. Hustler came in from the west while the rest of the assault came in from the east and it worked very well indeed. There were not a lot of Taliban to begin with and most of them obediently lined up and got themselves taken out by getting caught in the crossfire from the Apache's and the troopers. There were a few minor casualties but nothing serious.

There were a few supply runs but nothing else for several days. Then Captain Forrest showed up again. Liz looked at him and sighed.

"If I had any sense at all I would just shoot you now."

"I come in peace."

"I should send you out in pieces."

"How about a visit to our compound?"

"Why not? It's not like I am not in a war zone already."

She went with him and upon entering was taken to the office of the Commander. Captain Forrest then left, closing the door and the Commander offered her a seat. Liz sat down; wondering what was coming this time.

"No mission, no Company mess, nothing like that."

"Now I know I should run like hell."

He handed her a file that was marked TOP SECRET. Liz felt something shift inside of her and she opened the file. Began to read. Then actually felt herself start to drool.

The commander watched all this with satisfaction. He doubted he would need to do much to convince her.

Liz spent 10 minutes reading and memorizing the file then handed it back to the Commander who promptly put it in a safe and locked it. She observed all this.

"Why am I being told? I can guess that this is being built now but VERY quietly.

"It is being built as a black project. And we have been able to keep it very quiet; one reason is that parts of it are being built by people who have no idea what those parts are for. The body and frame parts are basically identical to the standard parts only they are being made out of titanium. Other parts are being made as replacements for current parts. Only the avionics are unique. Even the engines are standard in one respect; they are the same as the WAH models. The first ones will be assembled starting in May. They are making the parts and then will assemble the aircraft. That is another way we are hiding it. The first company will be operational in February of 2012. By the end of that year we will have two battalions. We want you to be not only our first pilot; but the commander of the first company. You only have to ask for transfer to 160th SOAR."

"I thought that was men only."

"A new directive came out in September from SECDEF. We have not publicized it yet. Aviators are no longer male only."

Liz thought about the super Apache. She knew she had to fly it.

"You said Feb of 2012?"

"That is the goal; it probably will slip a few months."

Liz considered that. She had plans but it might still work. But there was no other decision she could make. She knew she should tell Max first but he would understand. She looked at the commander.

"How do I do this?"

"You are agreeing?"

"Yes. I must fly that chopper."

"Then you need to do nothing until you redeploy."

Liz went back to her quarters and lay on her bed and thought. While her decision had been somewhat impulsive, it was also true to herself. Flying was her goal; it was what truly interested her and made her eager to leave her home and family. It made her willing to sacrifice heavily to do it. 'Find something you love to do and then find a way to get paid doing it' was something she had read as a child and had always remembered. She had and she had. Taking a deep breath she then headed out to where you could make commercial phone calls; now she wished she had gone ahead an gotten a satellite phone. It took more than an hour, but she was able to get through to Max's work number and she was in luck as he was at the office.

Max was finishing up some paperwork; this job was not as bad as he had thought it was; not particularly good just not bad. He had been quietly checking around for something better and had some good prospects. Hopefully in six months or so he would have something he liked doing. His phone rang and he answered it.

"Max Evans"

"Max, it's Liz."

"Liz! Great to hear from you honey! How are things going?"

"Well I have some news for you."

"Well if it is big I am sitting down."

"I guess that is good. I had a meeting with the local Special Forces Commander today and he gave me some very interesting information. It made me decide to join the 160th SOAR when I get back from deployment."

Max was very still for a moment.

"Liz, they deploy a lot. More than anyone else."

"I know. But what was offered me I could not pass up."

Max thought hard. What in the world could make Liz jump from the frying pan to the fire?

"Liz you talked about applying to become an instructor so we could start a family."

"We can still start one when I get back. I went off the pill 6 months ago."

"But that means if you are pregnant you are grounded; so what is the point of joining the 160th right after you get back?"

"So I am first in line. What I want to be flying won't be available for a while."

So that was it- something new. He had not heard about any new Helicopters coming out that would make Liz want to do this. So it had to be something really Black. Well it was Special Ops. And they had made a point of offering it now to Liz. Well that was no surprise; with the reputation she had earned they would be stupid to not do that. Liz loved the Apache; so it had to be something that would blow the Apache away. If that was the case no wonder she had jumped on the offer.

"I think I understand now, Liz. At least you will still be based here. So we will manage. I am so looking forward to you coming home."

"So am I. To you and Aliya."

"She is very proud of you and so am I. She is doing well; and staying here will be good for her, too."

"Love you and give her a kiss for me. Have to go."

"Love you too Liz."

Max sat back and thought about things. Then got onto his computer and started to go to some of those forums that speculated about Black Projects. A couple hours later he stopped; even in that most paranoid and conspiracy driven area, there was only a very slight amount of speculation about a new attack helicopter for Black Ops. They had done a real good job of hiding this. And on the regular forums for aviation there was really nothing on a new attack helicopter for the military.

Liz went back to her quarters and once again lay down and thought. She was rather lucky that the Crew was out. She would let Battalion know right after they got home. That would give them time to figure out a replacement for her. She smiled at the thought of 'working' on starting a family. She wanted that very much. If she was lucky she would get pregnant quickly. She hoped her guardian angel was listening.

There were less than four weeks to go before they stopped flying. The replacement brigade would be flying in the next week. They would have three weeks to get ready before they relieved the 101st. One of the Brigades, the 2nd, would also be leaving at the same time; the 4th Brigade was already home. The next two brigades would be leaving in the next few months. Liz knew that everyone was beginning to get the short timers attitude; which had its good and bad points. The Bad was that people would try and skate and do as little as possible; the Good was that people would be more cautious and take fewer risks.

The next day there were some supply runs that were uneventful. C Company had really shaped up and was now maybe as good as A company. Liz privately doubted it, though. B Company had always been solid; not inspired but solid. So that area meant things were good. And with it being this time of year the pressure was off on combat anyway. Liz had no doubt there would be a few more assaults but not that many. The 2nd Cavalry's Kiowa Scouts, attack/recon, handled most of the calls for quick reaction air support. When the fixed wings were not called, anyway. Only when they were not available or the call came from too far away were the Apache's brought in. There was a lot less pressure here then there was at Bastion. They really needed more attack helicopter support there; what was there was badly stretched. Liz had written a report on operations there and had stressed that in it. It had gone to Brigade; she hoped it went higher.

Just one week before the end of flying came another mission that had the look of not being fun. It was a Special Operations mission, so naturally Liz was contacted. She followed Forrest as usual to the Special Ops compound.

There it was outlined. A good sized village in a mountain pass almost 150 miles north of Kandahar. There were intelligence indications that several mid-level Taliban leaders were there. It would be hairy as due to the height of the mountains, above the level any Apache could make, or any other helicopter for that matter, so they would have to go right up the valley and had to withdraw the same way. This operation clearly had to be a night attack. There was a place 50 miles from target that would be used as a refueling point; 2 Chinooks would go there with a Special Ops security team, and the attack force would refuel and then launch the assault. They would leave at night; arrive there and refuel; and then hit the target. 6 Battalion would be the transport unit; it would be a full company of SF in 6 Blackhawks, with 4 in reserve and 2 Medevacs.

It was speculated that the village could be defended by one or more 23MM AA cannons, like the one that had just about punched Liz's ticket. However its use at night would be very limited. This was a no moon period so that there would be no light at all; and all the US Helicopters would be very difficult to see as they had been designed for night operations. However anyone could get lucky so they would be watching for it. The only other possible defense that could worry anyone was if someone down there had an operational man portable SAM like a SA-7 or the like. It was possible they had a more modern version as a SA-7 was very ineffective against a modern US helicopter. It had been established that the Taliban had no remaining operational Stingers; the shelf life for all of them and especially for their batteries had expired years ago. There was no realistic chance any of them would work at this date.

So the mission was planned for the Blackhawks to quickly land the Special Forces teams at the outskirts of the village and then quickly move away to stay out of range of any possible AA weapons. It was probable that there would be 12.7MM MGs – but they had a limited effective range.

The Apache's would move in as cover and watch for anything; and use their 30MM to take out any identifiable threats. They would then quickly move back as well. This operation would succeed or fail on the Special Forces troops.

Liz had no forebodings as they took off at 2000 the next night. But then she had had none when she had been wounded, either. Apparently it only worked when others were under threat. The trip to the refueling point was uneventful; as was the refueling. They took off for the target at 0030 and arrived at 0100 as scheduled. Liz took her entire Company in over the Blackhawks as they landed; this was a lot tougher than it sounds at night. The night Vision Goggles were the latest version but it was still nowhere near as good as daytime. So there was no choice but to go slower than you would have during the day.

It was not long before they began to receive incoming fire; mostly AK 47 but also some 12.7MM Tracer was spotted; but they were quickly silenced as the Apache's could see them easily once they fired. And they fired at the Apache's who were mostly impervious to 12.7MM anyway.

Liz was tensely watching; Roger had control of the stick while she was concentrating on the 30MM. She had not yet fired a shot as someone beat her to it when she spotted something worth shooting at. There were 8 of them watching for anything so that was no surprise. In the cold air it was easier to see the figures trying to move and shoot. The IR contrast helped immensely. Then Liz spotted a figure standing on top of a building with what looked like a RPG, or maybe a SAM. Either way she exploded him quickly. Then heavier tracers started to come towards them and they all reacted quickly to what had to be 23MM; two separate ones were each targeted by 2-3 Apache's and quickly taken out. Then came the word that the Blackhawks had unloaded and were now a safe distance away.

"Doberman to all ships; let's back away as planned."

So they all flew backwards about half a mile or so, each watching the other so that no one got too close to anyone else. There they hovered and waited and watched.

In the village the SF teams had a huge advantage as they all had night goggles and the Taliban did not. Still it was not easy and they slowly fought their way from one end to the other. As agreed once they reached the far end of the village they called the escort.

"Ground to Spectre Lead; we have reached objective three."

Spectre Lead to Ground; understood."

Then as agreed Liz and 1st Platoon at a height of 1500 feet moved over the village to its far end; there to see if anyone tried to flee. This would be tricky because they did not want to shoot any women or children. Anyone carrying a weapon was considered fair game. But still they wanted to be sure.

Liz looked hard and long through her sight on the 30MM on the trail leading deeper into the valley from the village. It was not long before there were indeed people starting to run up that trail. Liz was more concerned when she noted what appeared to be women among them. But she did not see a single child.

"Doberman to all ships; I will take any shots; no one else shoots. Acknowledge."

One by one the others acknowledged.

Liz kept watching; then began to drop down closer to get a better look. There were only a couple figures carrying AK 47's; really not worth a shot probably. Then a bigger group came out of the village and there were 8 men in it; 3 were carrying AK 47's; one in front and 2 in the rear. She looked closer and two of the figures in the clump of 5 looked better dressed as near as she could tell. Making a decision she fired a burst at them; killing them all. Then more armed figures came running out of the village shooting back towards it. Liz hosed them as well.

"Ground to Spectre Lead; village secured. Have 4 wounded; not badly."

"Spectre Lead, took down most of the armed subjects leaving village; a group that appears to have targets taken down as well just past the end of the village."

"Roger Spectre Lead will take a look."

In a few minutes Liz saw more armed subjects leaving; clearly the Special Forces soldiers. They checked the ones Liz had blown away then looked at the clump. Liz saw the flashes of pictures being taken.

"Doberman to all ships; back up to angels 15."

15 minutes later the call for Pickup came and the MEDEVACs dropped down as well.

Liz spread out the company looking for any possible attacks and waited; in less than 15 minutes they were away.

And that turned out to be the end of the combat for the Aviation Brigade.

With the end of the combat role and flying, the choppers were taken over by the maintenance crews to prepare them for transport. But that did not mean the pilots had nothing to do; but now all of it was paperwork. Reports right and left for everything and anything. Liz had to do end of deployment evaluations on everyone; and sign off on every report and all the reports of survey for everything lost or expended not previously accounted for.

All that took up the next two weeks; but it was finally MOSTLY done. There was not a lot of personal gear to pack up so that would not take long. So by the beginning of March just about everyone outside of the Company Commanders on up had a fair amount of free time. Which most used to catch up on sleep and relax; since once they got home most would be taking their 30 day leave right away and would want to do things, not rest. Liz and the other commanders had more to do since they were also briefing in the new brigade about everything.

After the final meeting, Liz was talking to Ed and Jim.

"So, guys, what next for you?"

Ed shrugged "I will probably get the Battalion in the next few months when the Battalion commander finally moves up to Brigade XO."

Jim sighed; "They are talking giving me 5 Battalion as he moves up."

Liz looked at them. "Neither of you sound joyful about it."

Ed nodded. "Command is not what it is cracked up to be, as you have already found. But the paperwork at Battalion level is about 5 times what you have at company level."

Jim winced. "And that might be underestimating it. But worst of all flying is just about done."

Liz nodded. "That is why I am thinking of instructor."

They both nodded. "You can stay an instructor for a long time if you want; 5 years or more. But then you are pretty much stuck being a part of the school after that. Your chances at promotion are pretty much gone." ED stated.

Jim nodded. "Now if you are just wanting to run out the string to retirement at 20, that would work. You would not get a command or anything like it. The Bottom line in the military is keep rising or get out. Even if you are great at what you are currently doing, they will not let you stay there for too long no matter what."

Ed sighed. "Liz, you are a superb pilot and company commander. If the military had any brains they would leave you alone right at that position. But they cannot do that; or more to the point won't. It is like an animal that cannot ever not eat; it thinks if it stops feeding for one day it will die. That is where the US Military is today. Instead of transferring people and promoting them every couple of years the smart thing to do was when you found someone outstanding at doing something is leave them there to keep doing it. When you have too many great ones at that position then start promoting them. And gradually you fill from the bottom up. It is not done."

Nothing of what they said came to Liz as anything like a surprise. It was all things she had seen and thought herself. From two that she very much respected to have said it, just confirmed what she already knew. And that made her decision that much easier. It was either what she had already decided to do or become an instructor; and while that would have meant she could keep flying, it would have been treading water. She did not like the feeling that she was running as fast as she could just to remain in the same place.

So when Liz got on the plane on March 10 to return to the US, she had yet to tell anyone outside of Max what she was going to do.

Coming home this time was so much like it was last time; Max and Aliya and her mom waiting for her; in exactly the same place. And it was just as good. The very next day she got a chance to speak to the Crew where she let them know where she was going; just not why.

They were not as surprised as she thought they would be. Ellen said it best.

"You love flying that Apache, Liz; and not a desk. So flying anything other than a desk is what you should do. And I don't think you would like being an instructor as much as you might have thought you would. Dealing with so many just wanting to do enough to get by, would have gotten you sooner or later. And having to wash some out that really want to would have made it worse. And we know you too well to think you would like playing all the political games and doing all those courses to get a list checked; so for me its fine."

Liz told her mom the next day; and she sighed and nodded.

"I have come to terms with the fact that I have a warrior daughter; someone who does not want the picket fence and the safe lifestyle. Whatever you do as long as you want to do it I will always love and support you."

It was a little different a few days later when they went down to stay with Maria and the others for a week. Isabelle understood the best, then Tess. Maria was silent. Liz looked at her friend.

"It is what I want to do Maria."

Maria had her head down then slowly raised it up and they all saw the tears.

"Liz, I got the shakes that night I saw you come out of your Apache dripping blood. I am so afraid that sooner or later I am going to get that phone call telling me that finally you pushed it too far or your luck ran out. And flying for Special Operations is even worse than regular combat. But I know you; I have known you for almost 10 years though not as well the last 5. This is who you are. I think you are the finest person I have ever met; and I dread the day you are no longer here. I want it to happen in about 60 or 70 years. Not next year or the year after."

Tears in her own eyes Liz hugged her friend. There was nothing more to be said.

She and Max had been 'working' on what he called their joint project from the first day. They made it a point to 'work' on it at least once a day.

Aliya had grown both inwardly and outwardly. Gone was the too skinny child; now 10, she was starting to sprout up. She might end up a fair amount taller than her adoptive mother. And from the shy and timid girl she had first adopted had come the much more open and confident pre-teen that more and more appeared to be the everyday American girl. In one respect Liz saw that anyway that they could stay here longer would be so good for her; she had very close friends and was comfortable and happy. It had been good seeing the Posse as well. Susan had been very blunt.

"Thank you for making sure our men came back to us." While the 1st Brigade was not yet back, it was done with combat.

Ruth had just hugged her and whispered to her "I knew you would keep your promise."

Becky had hugged her and told her that Sam had been able to email her and let her know that his unit had just finished their last mission before coming home.

The three of them then took off for 10 days of traveling to several different parts of the country like the Northeast; NY and Boston; then Florida and Disney World. Finally with a week left they came home. And just stayed together; Sam had left his job and the next one would not start for a month. So they got a chance to know each other.

Finally Liz called the number that the Special Forces Commander in Kandahar had given her. She was told to head over to the 160th SOAR HQ in Campbell.

While in a different compound with more security, it did not seem that much different. But going inside the HQ building Liz could feel a difference; an energy that was unlike anything she had seen anywhere else, even the Spec Ops in Afghanistan had. She was directed into an office where a full Colonel waited.

"Captain Parker; I am Colonel Ballard, commander of the 160th SOAR."

"Pleased to meet you sir."

"I am pleased to meet you Captain. I am glad you have decided to join us."

"When I saw that bird, I had to fly her. Just that simple sir."

"Well you will get that chance. However, the schedule has slipped due to some problems that cropped up. Nothing serious but it will add about 6 months to operational status."

"Well that is good sir, since I was looking to have a baby before I started flying her."

He raised an eyebrow then grinned. "I was told you did not mince words, Captain and I am glad that you are being fully honest here. So that is your latest project?"

Liz blushed slightly. "Yes Sir and I am giving full attention to it like anything else that is important."

He grinned wider. "As any good Special Operations warrior should. Well that will work out well if you can manage to start your project in the next few months. You will have to go through our own special preparation course, but it is nothing that frankly should give you too much trouble. As organized as you are reputed to be."

Liz smiled at him. "Ya gotta have a plan."

"You will be going through a special version of that course for the simple reason of your record and accomplishments. Some of the regular parts would be redundant and waste time; you will only be doing what you need. We try to tailor all our prep work that way."

Liz was already liking this. No cookie cutter crap; no trying to force round pegs into square holes.

"How long would that course take?"

"Probably about 12 weeks."

"Well sir, If I can get my current project started, how much of what I need to do can I do before I cannot see my feet?"

He laughed out loud at that. "If that is not too the point I do not know what is. I would say about half of it."

"Sounds like a plan, sir. Where do I sign?"

He reached for a folder on his desk and handed it to her. In about 10 minutes she had signed everything. Most of it had been pre filled out. When she finished it, she looked at him.

"So what next?"

"Inform your command about your intentions. Special Forces has another position they would like you to fill while we are all waiting for the birds to get done.

Liz blinked for a minute then sighed. "Don't tell me; their ASP."

He grinned again. "No flies on you. Makes sense; that is the other area you have excelled in. And they are losing their commander next month."

And that was that. Liz headed back home and let Max know that it was done. The next day she went to the 101st Brigade HQ and talked to the head of personnel there.

"Captain Parker, what can I do for you?"

"Here are my transfer papers to the 160th SOAR."

She did enjoy the look on his face.

Not two hours later she got a call from her Brigade Commander.

"I don't suppose there is any way I can talk you into staying, Captain?" Was his statement to her when she came to his office.

"Sir do you know about the new bird they are getting?"

He looked at her and slowly nodded. "So that is why. I guess I cannot blame you. We will be very sorry to lose you Captain."

"I am sorry to leave sir, but we both know I would not have been in that cockpit for that much longer here."

"I am not going to BS you so no you would not have. Your promotion is in the works and you would have been Battalion XO fairly soon. You should know that you will be getting another commendation."

Liz sighed. "Now what?"

He smiled suddenly. "I just got the word today. Company A, 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Brigade will be awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for actions in Kandahar and Helmand Provinces, Afghanistan from March of 2010 through February of 2011."

Liz blinked but smiled. "So everyone that served in A Company in that time period is included."

"Yes."

"That is very good. I do not mind this one."

"Thought that would make you a bit happier. I am very sorry to lose you but I do understand why. It has been an honor and pleasure to have you in my command, Captain."

"Proud to have served in your command, Colonel."

Liz came back to their house and found Max and Aliya preparing lunch. She smiled at this. She had not eaten much that morning, her stomach had been a little queasy so she was very hungry now and proceeded to devour two large sandwiches. Aliya had wide eyes at that; Liz laughed at her.

"You have seen me eat big meals before."

"Momma, it always surprises me."

After lunch Aliya went off to the center; this was her last day off before going back to school. A lot of children had not been in school since the division had come back. The school there was used to it. Max came back after dropping her off and found Liz just sitting and smiling.

"What has you happy?"

"The Brigade Commander informed me that A Company is getting the Presidential Unit Citation."

"Wow."

"Yeah this is one I do not mind. Of course it is my second; sometimes I forget about the one I got for being in the 3rd ID during the initial assault on Iraq."

The next week when the Brigade reported back the Company was given the word; the award would be made within the next few weeks. After that she told them that she would be transferring to the 160th SOAR.

They pretty much all said the same thing; that they were not surprised and that they understood. She knew they were disappointed she was going but that was all.

Liz felt like she was in limbo and really did not know what to do until the transfer was formalized. Then another thought occurred to her that kind of took precedence. She realized she was late and remembered the slight nausea she had had on and off the last week or so. She wasted no time in going into town in civilian clothes and getting a pregnancy test. She came back to the house; glad that Max was looking over his new job; they were working on renovating the main air field and he had gotten a job with the contractor as supervisor of the work crews. She knew he would like that job better than the last. She read the instructions and followed them. Not ten minutes later Max came home and found her smiling again.

"OK, what this time?"

She showed him the test.

They spent the next hour making love. Then talking about things.

Aliya came home from school and was told; she was big eyed and asked a lot of questions. Liz very early on told her that she would be the big sister and thus would have some responsibility.

That evening Liz called her mom, then Maria and the others. Then the Crew, and finally the Posse. The crew and posse called for a party at the park the coming Saturday.

Liz quietly called the commander of the 160th SOAR and told him her news.

"Congratulations on the baby, Captain. Good timing. Very efficient."

Liz laughed and thanked him.

On Saturday the Posse proceeded to make sure she did various things. Liz loved this time; the Crew were just as happy. And had some announcements. They were all getting married in the next few months.

That of course required much consultation on all matters marriage.

Back home that evening Liz cuddled with Aliya and Max on the sofa. They just sat there and enjoyed being together.

That Monday Liz was notified formally that her transfer had been accepted. And that she would be detached in two weeks to take over the ASP for Special Operations. And that the Presidential Unit Citation would be held in the White House Rose Garden on May 14. She was not pleased when told that the only ones listed were the Copilots, Pilots and Sergeant Rogers. She immediately called Brigade and they told her they were working on it. Liz then emailed her congressman.


	7. Chapter 7

"The Presidential Unit Citation currently leaves out the Crew chiefs and crews that kept our choppers flying. That is wrong."

The reply came back in an hour. "I am on it."

SECDEF really did not have time for this and proceeded to chew out his Undersecretary for Personnel who was supposed to take care of screw ups like that.

Liz cleaned up her office; then made sure all necessary paperwork was done, and then looked around. Ted came in and proceeded to pull her to where they had put together a going away party for her. Liz would miss them; she had spent more time with them than any other unit and that counted for a lot.

She reported to the 5th Group the following Monday and talked to the Commander.

"Captain Parker, you will find that no one is left from the group you trained over two years ago. So that is why you have been assigned TDY here. The new commander designate has decided to leave the army so it will be a while before we can scare up a replacement. I was informed of your condition and it should be no bar to this assignment. The 160th SOAR will be your PCS move technically even though you remain on the same installation."

"Understood Sir. I have a fair amount of time before I reach the point where I will be completely desk bound. I see no reason that the ASP cannot be well in gear before I leave."

Liz headed down to the SF ASP Office and walked in the door and looked around. There was no one there. She walked around and noted that the key cabinet was not secured. There was no one in the office at all. Beginning to get steamed she called up the 5th Group G4.

"Sir, this is Captain Parker. I am down here at the ASP office and there is no one in the building and it is not secure. I thought the Commander was not due to leave yet?"

"He was not as far as I know, Captain. I will send security ASAP."

Liz went through the building and did not like what she found. A quick look at the SOP's showed that they had all been last updated one year after she had left; not since. Virtually everything she saw screamed sloppiness and taking short cuts.

Within 10 minutes of her call upstairs, two vehicles loaded with SF Security appeared. The lead sergeant approached Liz.

"Sergeant Gunderson. Was told by Group to report to you on a security breach."

"That is correct sergeant. You will have half your men secure this building; the rest and you will come with me to the ASP."

"Yes Maam. Sergeant Wilson, take your team and secure this building."

"Understood Sergeant."

"Sergeant Wilson, you will hold anyone that comes in until I return."

"Yes Maam."

"Let's go, Sergeant Gunderson."

Liz got into the Hummer and the Sergeant took the wheel and they headed towards the ASP.

"Sergeant, I have reason to think I just inherited a cluster fuck. I may need more of your men to do a sweep of the ASP."

"Understood Captain."

He then called into HQ for more men.

Meanwhile the G4 had contacted the Group Commander and filled him in.

"Damn, this sounds bad. What about the current Commander?"

"Sir, I have not been able to find a leave slip. He is not due to process out for 2 weeks. His quarters do not answer."

The Group Commander thought for a moment.

Then the G4's phone rang, and he answered it.

"Yes it is. What? OK keep me informed."

"Captain Parker just asked for reinforcements."

"I want an alert RIGHT NOW. Get the reaction force rolling for the ASP."

Liz and the Security detachment rolled up to the Group ASP. The gate was open and the guard was not there. Liz got out and looked around- saw a porto potty.

"Sergeant, secure this gate, check that porto. Call HQ and declare a security breach right now."

"Yes MAAM! Jones and Brandon, check that potty. People we are on alert; weapons locked and loaded and ready to fire; safeties off. Smith, close that gate."

Liz thought she might be over reacting but she was taking no chances; she wished she had a side arm but then again she had not expected this and had no reason to.

The potty was empty and the two security people unlocked the back of the vehicles weapon storage and produced M4's. Liz was glad to see they had more and took one and two magazines and quickly readied it for action.

Liz looked around and still saw nothing. She looked at Gunderson.

"Sergeant, any moving vehicle will be stopped one way or another. Deadly force is authorized."

"Understood, Captain."

Liz thought for a minute and pulled out her cell phone and punched in a number.

"1st Battalion."

"Sir, this is Captain Parker. We have a situation at the Group ASP; probable security breach. Possibly worse. Is there anyone immediately available and armed?"

"Negative; only scouts available."

"Need eyes in the sky, sir."

"Understood; 10 minutes."

"Yes sir, have them contact us on Group Security."

"As soon as we can Captain."

10 minutes went by and they heard sirens coming from the main area. Then approaching sirens. They could see flashing lights as the security vehicles approached. 4 Hummers approached; 2 with 50's on mounts and two with flashing lights.

At the same time came from Gunderson's radio

"6 Battalion, Ferrer, for Captain Parker."

Liz grabbed the mike "This is Captain Parker; I need a sweep of the Group ASP and tell us what you see."

"Roger that, Captain."

The Lead vehicle stopped and a LT came hustling forward. He saluted Liz.

"Told of a security breech; Group has called an alert. Was told to follow your orders, Captain."

"I want a sweep of the ASP. I have a hawk upstairs looking right now and will give us the situation."

"Ferrer to Captain Parker; I have four magazines open; one vehicle in front of one magazine; no personnel in sight."

Liz thought about the layout of the ASP.

"Ferrer which magazines are open?"

"All the magazines on the 3rd row."

"Where is that vehicle?"

"Third magazine from your right as facing the magazines from the gate."

"Thank You Ferrer, keep looking and if anything changes sing out."

"Roger that, Captain."

Liz looked at the Lt.

"I went to the ASP HQ and the building was empty and unsecured. We got here and the gate was open and nobody present. I want you to move in and check those magazines for intruders or anyone else; detain and secure anyone you find. I checked the planographs for the open magazines and there are no AT weapons in them. The one magazine with the vehicle in front has only small arms ammunition. Deadly Force is authorized."

"Understood Captain."

He then gathered his sergeants and quickly briefed them.

Then more sirens and two vehicles approached; one looked like a commanders Hummer and the other was another security Hummer.

Liz looked at the LT. "LT, just in case those are not who they look to be."

"Yes Sir."

Then gave orders and the two hummers with 50's turned to cover the oncoming vehicles. Liz and the others moved behind their hummer and watched.

The two vehicles stopped and out of the second came the 5th Group commander, Colonel Collins.

Everyone relaxed as he quickly came forward.

"Captain, brief me."

"Sir we arrived 20 minutes ago. The gate was open and unmanned. We secured it; the reaction force arrived. I called the field and they rushed a Blackhawk" she pointed at the hawk hovering at about 2000 feet "and it reported four magazines open and one vehicle in front of one; no personnel in sight. I just ordered the LT to move in and secure the area; to detain and secure anyone found. He was about to do so when you arrived."

He nodded. "Well done Captain. The ASP commander is missing. Has anyone shown up at the ASP HQ?"

"The Sergeant there has secured the building and will alert us if anyone appears; anyone that does will be detained. We have received no communications from him."

He thought for a minute then looked at the LT.

"Lt Anderson, are you ready to move in?"

"Yes sir my people are briefed and we are ready."

"Then do so."

"Yes sir."

Liz broke in "Sir, I authorized deadly force if necessary."

The Colonel nodded. "Per those orders, move in."

"Yes sir."

They moved out 2 minutes later, two vehicles going each way to the far end of the rows of magazines in view; there were 4 rows of 4 magazines laid out in a square.

Liz moved back to Gunderson's vehicle and took the mike. "Captain Parker to Ferrer, any change?"

"Negative, Captain. The security vehicles are approaching the first open bunkers; two troopers are going in to check; with two outside covering; "

A couple of minutes went by.

"first two open magazines are closed now; one unit is checking the third open bunker; the other is waiting."

Another couple of minutes.

"third magazine closed they are moving towards the magazine with the vehicle."

"They are going in the magazine."

"They are pulling out four uniformed personnel out of the magazine and are handcuffing them. They are staggering, barely able to stand."

"Security to Group Commander, have secured the situation. Have arrested four personnel who are apparently under the influence of drugs."

Everyone relaxed. Liz shook her head. "Stoned out of their gourds probably."

The Group commander reached for his phone. "Call off the alert. Contact CID, we will need a full investigation team."

He looked at Liz. "You reacted correctly, Captain. And it looks like we have a much bigger mess than I ever suspected."

"Yes sir. Before we left the building, I looked around. The Key cabinet was open and unsecured; everything I saw indicated a very sloppy and careless attitude. The SOPS were all out of date."

He nodded. "Right now I think a full replacement of all personnel is going to be required."

Liz looked up as a vehicle approached with flashing lights; it was a command Hummer. It approached and stopped and a Major came out and approached the Colonel and saluted.

"Major Fresnel, Security. IS the situation under control, sir?"

"It is. But I will need this ASP secured and the guard on duty is either missing or is one of the four we have found who are under the influence."

The Major blinked and nodded.

At that point the Security Force came up to the gate. LT Anderson got out and approached the group and saluted the colonel.

"Four personnel apparently severely under the influence, sir; we could smell a large amount of marijuana smoke in each of the magazines; the one the personnel were in reeked with it. They are so bad they can barely stand and are completely incoherent."

"Take them straight to the Base Hospital for testing; you know the procedures."

"Yes Sir."

Major Fresnel spoke up. "I want 4 personnel here for the immediate future until relieved, Lt Anderson."

"Understood sir."

Liz also spoke up. "Did you lock the magazines, Lt.?

"No captain; I was not able to find any locks or keys."

Liz shook her head. "Will need to get spare locks from the office, and we will need to reset the IDS." Suddenly she thought of something and looked at the LT.

"Shouldn't the IDS have gone off; If I recall the system it has to be keyed every hour the door is open or it alarms. I doubt those characters have only been stoned for an hour."

His eyes widened as did Major Fresnel, who called into his office and wanted to know what his board showed. He paled as he looked at the Group commander.

"The IDS board shows all those magazines as secured; and have not opened today."

Liz sighed. The others looked at her. "They must have bypassed the IDS so that it never alarms no matter what happens. That is not something easily done."

Major Fresnel shook his head. "No it's not." He looked at the group Commander. "Sir this is very serious."

The Colonel nodded. "It is getting more serious by the minute."

He looked at Liz. "Captain, as of right now this ASP is on lockdown. Closed until further notice. You will perform a 100% inventory starting tomorrow morning. In the meantime, we will have security on each row 24/7."

"Yes sir." Then Liz headed towards Gunderson's radio. "Captain Parker to Ferrer; situation secured and thank you. Head for the barn."

"Roger that Captain Parker."

The Colonel looked at Liz. "Good thinking there, Captain. Let us proceed to the ASP office and we will discuss this. I will call the G4 and have him come down. I will also call the Base Commander and have the head of his ASP head over as well; we will have to use his people for the inventory."

They all trooped down to the ASP Office except for the detail going to the base hospital or back to the Barracks. Liz unloaded her weapon and gave it back to the Sergeant to be locked away. The Colonel noted that she was very precise and competent with the weapon.

In the office Liz immediately checked the keys in the Key cabinet. The Colonel and Major noted her frustration.

"Just how bad is this, Captain?"

"Sir this is a mess. We have CAT 1 and 2 keys mixed in with all the others; a major security violation as they must be separated so that no one person can draw both keys…oh hell. IT looks like only one lock on the Cat 1 bunkers. Damn. I see some of the keys are missing. This keeps getting better and better."

She closed the cabinet that had a combination type lock on it; then stopped and looked in the cabinet next to it and found a key lock still in the box; she took that lock out and locked the cabinet with it and took both keys and placed them in the safe. Then stopped. "Damn. Need to change the combination to this safe." She looked at the lock. "Well good you can change the combination." She fiddled with it. Then locked it. She looked at the Major. "Sir, I will give you the combination and I will have the combination and no one else." She looked at the Colonel and he nodded and stepped away. Liz whispered to the Major "8 4 76"

He nodded. "Got it."

Liz then looked around and poked at some boxes on the floor. "Jesus. Here are the spare Magazine locks. They are supposed to be secured as well." She picked them up and opened the safe and checked the lower drawer and dropped 6 locks in it and closed the safe again and put the closed sign on it.

Both the Major and the Colonel shook their heads.

The Group G4 came in and looked around. The Colonel beckoned him over.

"What did the base commander say?"

"The Ordnance Company commander resigned his commission 3 days ago and has already cleared post. The 2 LTs are still on leave. They have been unable to contact them."

Liz shook her head. "Jesus H Christ. The Ordnance Company was in great shape when I left."

The G4 shrugged. "All the personnel that you trained are gone. Over a year ago the last one left. Remember, Captain, it was almost 4 years since you left here."

The Colonel was also shaking his head. "With the increased emphasis that the Ammunition Mission has been getting; since the new SECDEF kept up the pressure the last one had been applying, I cannot believe that it collapsed here."

The G4 looked uncomfortable. The colonel glared at him. The G4 sighed.

"Sir I had been hearing some things about the ASP on main post; but I had heard nothing about this ASP. The Last inspection conducted before we left, 18 months ago, did not seem to find anything wrong."

Liz looked at him. "Who did it?"

"The Main post ASP office."

Liz was quiet for a moment. "How much do you want to bet that the last inspection for THEIR ASP came from THIS ASP."

The three officers winced. The Colonel sighed. "We are not dumb enough to take that bet."

He thought for a moment and reached for a desk phone. Dialed a number.

"Colonel Simms. I think you need to have your ASP checked immediately. IT was a disaster here; and the last inspection done 18 months ago was by the main post ASP and there are things here that should have been caught even then. And were not. I am at our ASP office; frankly the only officer on this installation who has an idea how bad it might be is Captain Parker here. She was supposed to take over the ASP and found a Major Security Breech." "Yes. That Captain Parker; she is TDY for the moment here prior to her joining the 160th SOAR. She will clearly be busy here; and I think we might have to have her take over all the ordnance company functions on this installation. Yes I agree. We will head over in a while; 1300 is a good time for a meeting in your office."

Liz checked her watch. It was 1130. Only 90 minutes had passed since she left the Group HQ to come here.

The Colonel looked at the officers present. "Meeting at the base commanders office at 1300." He looked around. "Captain Parker, how many people should be here?"

"Sir, TOE is 1 Captain, 1 LT, 2 Sergeants and 6 specialists. We know the Captain is missing; the LT has transferred out. One of the four was the gate guard who is in security; the other three were 3 of the specialists. So that leaves both sergeants and 3 specialists unaccounted for."

He looked at Major Fresnel. "I want them found. At this time I want them detained."

"Yes sir I will send out an alert." They began to discuss that.

Liz had wandered over to the Captains office and looked inside. She saw an envelope lying on his desk. She went in and picked it up. She brought it out to the main office area where they had been talking.

"Sir this was laying on the captain's desk. It is labeled for Personnel."

He took it and opened it. Pulled out some papers. Looked at them. "His resignation effective today. IT is dated last Wednesday."

Liz shook her head. "Well that explains his absence but not much else."

The Colonel looked around. "Check all the offices. See if any more like this are around." They all started to poke around but found nothing but more evidence of an incredibly sloppy operation. Liz did find the keys to the door to the building. The Colonel told them to close the doors and for Liz to secure it.

"Major, I imagine you have quite a report to start on."

"Yes sir and I need to start on it ASAP."

"Then go do so."

He looked at Liz and the G4. "We have time for lunch; we will go to the officers club and we can discuss this over food." Liz had the keys to the ASP office vehicle that had been brought back from the ASP; she decided to take it instead of the base car she had been using.

After they went to the Officers mess and had taken seats in the senior officer section the Colonel looked at Liz.

"Just how bad do you think it is?"

"Sir this is about one step down from apocalyptic. I have no doubt we will find everything wrong. The Ordnance company mostly did not deploy due to where the 101st was; the ASPs are permanent there and manned by other units. So they stayed here; with very little to do since the whole division was gone. The Special Forces ASP also has had little to do due to how much of 5th Group is deployed and once again not many of them went. The old saying that while the Cat is away the mice will play has been already proven here."

The G4 shook his head. "You left a trained and competent ASP here and on Main post. But I am willing to bet that the senior people were gone within 2 years at the most; with the others steadily going. We probably got the dregs here from elsewhere; why I do not know but I bet that was what happened. Somehow we became the dumping ground for the bad Ordnance types here. With that increased emphasis on Ammunition, everyone wanted to get rid of their bad apples. Looks like we got more than a few. And since we did not need them, nobody noticed in the past year how bad it had been getting." His cell phone rang and he took the call. Listened for a bit then told them OK and keep digging.

"That was personnel. Of the 2 sergeants and 3 missing Specialists, it turns out that the three specialists left over 6 months ago and the Captain did not bother to get replacements. One of the sergeants also transferred to the NG two months ago. The remaining sergeant is still unaccounted for. The LT transferred out and his time in ran out last month and he left the military."

Liz sighed. "So we have one missing sergeant who could very well be out somewhere drunk. I would not be surprised if he had something like that in his record. One of the sergeants offices looked somewhat empty; the other had his trash can full of beer cans."

The Colonel looked up at the ceiling. "I cannot believe that I did not hear about this from somewhere."

The G4 also shook his head. "I had heard vague things but had no idea of this goat rope. That is why I wanted Captain Parker to take over here for the time being."

Liz shook her head. "I have NO one then I can start with. I will need bodies. And if the Main ASP is anything like this, and right now there is no reason to not think so, there might be very few there that I can use."

The Colonel grunted. "Well, let's eat. And try and enjoy the meal."

At 1245 they headed to the Base Commander's office.

The Base commander, Colonel Sims, the Division G4, Colonel Allen, and the Base Security Commander were waiting in the office. After introductions the Base commander nodded to Colonel Allen to start.

"Ordnance Company. Captain Jenkins resigned. Lt Johnson has had his transfer approved and is on leave in Europe. Lt Dunkin has been found in his quarters passed out drunk. He was supposed to be on leave and apparently was just drinking in his room. 4 sergeants. 2 are transferring in and are not Ordnance qualified; but seem competent from their records. 2 slots were empty and have been for 6 months. The two coming in are due on base next week. They both have families and are in route. 8 specialists for doing paperwork; and the TAMIS system. 4 slots empty. The other slots are filled with personnel that are barely competent. None of them were evaluated at more than satisfactory and that was probably a stretch. Effectively at this time this ordnance section is an empty building."

Liz was thinking hard and the Group Commander noticed. "What is it Captain?"

"Sir none of them include the personnel that did come with us to Afghanistan."

He looked at the G4. Who nodded. "Due to the realignment, the Ordnance company is permanent post so that if one or more of the brigades stay they can be taken care of. We do have the people who were deployed. Some sergeants and specialists."

"So what do we have from them?"

The Colonel pulled out a file and checked it. "4 sergeants, 2 89B's. 8 specialists, 4 of which are TAMIS qualified. All attached to their various brigades."

The Base Commander nodded. "Well they will not be needed so we can put them in the Ordnance Company permanent post."

Liz nodded. "I can also grab the two sergeants extra and I have something to start with at the SF ASP. If we can take two of the specialists, one TAMIS, there is a core to build around. One of those sergeants need to be one of the 89B's."

The atmosphere lightened up now that there was some light at the end of the tunnel.

The Base Security commander then interjected. "I think the absolute first thing will be to have a 100% inventory."

The group nodded and the Base Commander looked at Liz. "Captain Parker, since this will be your responsibility, I think you need to let us all know what you will need first."

Liz took a deep breath and pulled out her notebook that she had been making notes prior to the meeting.

"As was pointed out, 100% inventory. No records previously used will be considered as anything but unreliable. I will need to talk to the QASAS here. I wonder why they did not say anything; they should have caught this long ago."

The Division G4 sighed. "One QASAS recently retired; the other just got here last month and has just started duty. The AMMO LAR retired 2 months ago and has not been replaced. The new QASAS is very inexperienced."

Liz blinked. "We need either an immediate LAR or QASAS that is experienced at Camp or Post."

The Division G4 nodded. "I will contact the Career Office and request an immediate fill. But that means it will be several months."

Liz shook her head. "We need QASAS help now; tell them to send some TDY."

The Group and Base Commander both nodded. Group commander was blunt." If the Career Office is hesitant, I will have SOCOM demand one ASAP."

Liz looked at her notebook. "Need to have those brigade sergeants and specialists tomorrow if possible; ASAP anyway. Also I need the authorization to issue ammunition per regulation; need to cancel all previous permissions as well."

Group nodded. "I will have your authorization to issue by tomorrow NOON.

The Base Commander also nodded. "For the rest of the base tomorrow by NOON as well. Your appointment as Ordnance company commander is already being worked on by my office."

Liz sighed. "Someone probably needs to let 160th SOAR know about this. I am going to be here a lot longer than originally thought."

Group nodded. "I will take care of that."

The Base Commander mused. "I know Captain Parker left the Ordnance Company in very good shape and that was only four years ago. It is remarkable to me that it was allowed to deteriorate like it did, especially in the new climate as regards Ammunition. I only took command 3 months ago, but Colonel Johnson did not seem the sort to allow it to happen."

Division G4 sighed. "It is more our fault than anyone else's. With the new organization, technically we should have been keeping a closer watch but we just plain did not."

Group shrugged. "No point in worrying about blame; but we do need to make sure it does NOT happen again. If Captain Parker had not decided to go looking this morning rather than waiting for tomorrow, that ASP might have been left wide open until nighttime; and we would not have known about the IDS system."

The Base Commander looked at him. "There is something wrong with the IDS system as well?"

Base Security grimaced. "Technicians are right now looking over the system; their preliminary report I got just before this meeting indicates the SF ASP had over rides placed on the IDS so they would not register as open unless specifically entered in the keyboard on the magazine control board."

The Base Commander was shocked. "How long?"

"Not known at this time."

Group sighed. "All involved will be given bad conduct discharges unless we find that there are serious shortages. In which case the CID will have even more to look for. Which is another reason the Inventory must be done ASAP."

Liz had an ugly thought. "If the Main Post ASP has been working with the SF ASP to cover things up like it looks, is it possible they did the same thing to the Main Post ASP IDS?"

Everyone at the meeting had their jaws drop, fall off, and roll on the floor.

The Base Security chief pulled out his cell phone. "Thompson. I want those techs checking the Main Post ASP IDS ASAP. Yes for the same thing."

The Base Commander closed his eyes, Group leaned his head back. The Division G4 was very quiet. "It will be next to impossible to keep this from hitting the media."

Group G4 looked at Liz. "Captain, there is a chance that by this time next week you might be the only one at this meeting with a job."

The meeting ended not too long after. Liz sat and thought for a while; then picked up her notebooks and headed home for the day. There really was nothing more she could do.

She came in the door and realized that Max was at his job and Aliya was still at school. So she just relaxed. The tension of the day got to her and she dozed off.

Max and Aliya came into the house and saw Liz on the sofa asleep. Max put his fingers to his lips and Aliya tip toed by and up to her room. Max quietly began to prepare dinner.

The smell of food woke Liz. She smiled and stretched and padded to the kitchen and sat at the table watching Max prepare dinner. He was a pretty good cook.

Max looked up and noted Liz at the table.

"Have a nice nap?"

"Ya. Needed it after today."

"What happened?"

"Remember what I told you about the ASP here when I first came to the Aviation Brigade?"

"Yeah."

"Today I found both in even worse shape."

He turned and looked at her and saw that she was very serious. At that point Aliya came in and Liz started to ask her about her day. He saw that she did not want to talk about it and did not bring it up again.

Liz before going to bed dug out all her old Ammunition reference material and packed it ready to take to the base in the morning.

Liz opened up the SF ASP office at 0600. She took a better look around and made notes on what needed to be done. At 0630 she locked it up. Left a sign on the door for anyone to call the number to the main ASP office, which doubled as the Ordnance Company office. She headed there.

Liz walked into the office of the Main Post ASP and found the expected personnel from the Brigades sitting in the break room. She went into the office area and found no one. Went back to the break room and asked those there

"Did any of the regulars from this office show up?"

A sergeant stood up. "No Captain. Security let us in to wait for you."

She looked at him. Memory niggled. "Sergeant, I think you were in my 89B class."

"Yes Maam. Jason Engler."

"Where have you been posted?"

"Ist ID, Ft Riley for 5 years. Then here since."

"Good. We will need your experience."

"Who is the other 89B?"

"Here , Captain. Tom Simpson. Took 89B in 2007 and was sent here after."

"OK here is the deal; one of you will be going to the SF ASP and one will stay here. Do either of you have a preference?"

"I would like to try the SF, Maam." Came from Engler.

"Very well. Now I want to hear about the rest of you. How much experience each of you have."

The answers were pretty good; none of them were fresh from training, all had some experience. All had been deployed at least once.

"Here is the situation. I don't have to tell you that this ASP and the SF ASP are in sad shape or you would not be here. The Ordnance Company at this installation at this time consists of the people in this room. The remaining former members of it are either up on charges or will be transferred for cause. Two more sergeants, not 89B's, will be in next week as transfers. One will go to SF and one will come here. More specialists will be brought in but you people and the two sergeants will be doing the work. Replacement officers will be brought in but unless I miss my guess none of them will have worked Ammunition. So you will have to train them alongside me. This will be the second time I had to rebuild the Ammunition Mission on this installation in the last 5 years. So I know the route."

Her official cell phone went off; she had gotten it yesterday.

"Parker."

"Yes Sir. Understood sir."

"Ouch. When it rains it pours."

"Well that is good anyway. We will need them. What about replacements for here?"

"Yes sir. If anymore collapses occur I will inform you."

Liz sighed. "Well the bad news is that the only QASAS on post resigned suddenly to take a position with a contractor elsewhere. The good news is that he will be replaced by an experienced set of QASAS. For the time being two Senior QASAS will be sent here TDY. So when they show up they will be helping out here; and training everyone. So the technical assistance problem will be taken care of. So there is light at the end of the tunnel and it is not an oncoming train. Officer replacements will be here by next week. But none of them have ammunition experience, just as I figured. The first thing we will be doing is a 100% inventory of both ASP's. We will start here and then do the SF ASP. I was informed by Group G4 and Division G4 that there will be no critical training scheduled for at least the next few weeks. So any issues that would have to be done will be emergency ones. Which I will do. Any receipts of ammunition coming in we will handle. No shipments are scheduled. So we can concentrate on doing the inventory and getting the system fixed. One major factor will be the SOP's; they are all out of date. The good news is that they were originally written by me at Ft Stewart then brought here the first time that I had to fix this place. So I know those SOPs. We just have to make sure they are up to date, which should not take long. We will do them right after we complete the inventories."

At that point several officers came into the ASP. Liz went to meet them, Major Fresnel was with them.

"Captain Parker, this is Captain Jamison of CID. And four of his officers. They will be conducting the investigation. The technicians confirmed that the IDS here was modified the same way the SF ASP IDS was compromised. The Division Commander has insisted that charges be filed on this and anything else serious found. So they and the technicians will be looking at the IDS for every magazine on base; then they will be accompanying you on the Inventory, which will be done as soon as the IDS is examined and any evidence removed. Then the IDS will be returned to its correct configuration."

Liz nodded. "Very well. Is there an estimate how long that will take before we can begin the inventory?"

"They have been ordered to have it done by 0600 Thursday."

"So I can expect to start the inventory at 0600 Thursday."

"If not sooner."

"Understood sir. Right now I intend all the personnel here to start examining our SOP's to bring them up to date. We should have them done by Thursday and ready for staffing."

"Get them started on that and then show the CID people here what the problems were."

"Yes Sir."

Liz turned to the 89B's. "OK, you two split up the SOP's and start going over them with everyone in two groups. When you are each done with redoing your set, exchange them so that each group can go over the other half of the SOP's. That way everyone sees all of them."

She then motioned the CID people to follow her into the main office area.

"We will start with Key Control. Here is the AR 190-11, the parts on it that deal with Keys and Key control." She had been given the combination to the safe by the Base Security Chief the previous afternoon. She then opened the safe and took out the keys to the key cabinet and opened it. They then counted the keys and found several missing. Liz looked in the cabinet and at the bottom of it inside its ledge were several keys. She found the key list and it was out of date, naturally. It did seem like they had keys to all the locks on the magazines, but would not know until it was checked. One of the CIC Lts had taken the pages Liz had copied and was taking notes on which parts of it the ASP was in violation. The list was growing steadily. None of the CAT 1 bunkers had two locks as it appeared; another major violation. The keys were not separated in two cabinets; one more. Liz looked around the office.

"When I left here 4 years ago there was a second key cabinet for magazines with two locks. It is no longer here- it used to be right next to it." She showed where it appeared a second cabinet used to be but no longer was. She then went to the safe and opened all the drawers and pulled out 4 spare locks still in their original boxes.

The Main ASP gate was locked and two guards on duty. Liz told them to lock it after they got in and no one was allowed admittance. They then started on each magazine beginning with Mag 1. The first two rows all the mags had locks that opened to keys on the list; but they did not all match up. The 3 CAT 1 Magazines on the second row – containing items like Stingers and AT-4's- all had only one lock, though that lock was correctly listed. So Liz added a second lock and entered that on a new key list. She was listing the magazines and locks on another key list. The third row was ok until the last one; its lock was not on the list and none of the keys Liz had would open it. She told the CID that a lock smith would have to be called to see if he could open it; if not a welding torch would cut the lock off.

After some discussion it was decided to do the same with the SF ASP, so they went back to the ASP office and Liz locked the cabinet and the safe. They then headed over to the other ASP office. Liz opened the building and went to the safe, opened it and pulled out the key to the key cabinet. She turned to the CID officers.

"Yesterday this was open; I changed the lock and the combination to the safe; only myself and Major Fresnel know it." There was a key list in the safe; it did not seem to follow what was listed on the hooks on the cabinet. There were keys on the bottom of the cabinet that Liz took as well. There were 2 Cat 1 bunkers; and like at the main ASP there appeared to be only one lock. There was also no second key list or second cabinet for a Cat 1 set of keys. Liz looked in the safe and took out the 6 new locks she had put in there the previous afternoon. She got a new key list and put it on another clipboard. They then headed out to the SF ASP. The gate was open but guarded by two guards; they informed Liz that the technicians were working on the IDS systems. Liz took the crew and they began to check the magazines. The first 4 were correctly listed; the next row 2 of 4 were listed; the other two were not correct and the keys on the hooks did not work; but fortunately two of the keys on the bottom did work. The third row, with the magazines without locks, was where the technicians were working on the IDS. They told Liz that simple jumper clips had been put on the terminals inside the box to bypass the IDS sensor on the door. They could not explain how this was done without Security finding out. Captain Jamison closely questioned him on it and was clearly not happy with the explanation. After they left that magazine he told Liz that it should not have been that easy. She agreed. She suggested that maybe they better call in some techs from another company and double check all this; he agreed and called up the Base Security commander who also agreed and would get on it. They did put a lock on each door so that now basic security was restored. The final row had the same problem as the second row; but Liz was able to find keys to unlock them. They then went back to the SF ASP office.

Captain Jamison looked at the list one of the LTs had been making at where the violations were in the AR 190-11. He looked at Liz.

"8 Major Violations and 6 minor ones. Not counting the IDS. Pretty evenly split between the two ASP's. I have never seen nor heard of anything this bad ever."

Liz nodded. "Neither have I. But the Brass are going to have to decide whether to prosecute and thus make it much more likely the media gets a hold of this, or try and keep it quiet."

They then headed back to the main ASP office and locked up the SF ASP office.

There Captain Jamison told Liz they would be writing up their preliminary report and would be waiting for her to start the Inventory.

Liz then went into the office for the commander and called first the Division G4 then the Group G4 and gave them the latest. She was told a meeting with the Division Commander was set for Weds at 1300 when he arrived back from DC where he had been at a Commanders conference.

Liz checked on the SOP progress and saw that it was good. Then she got a call from Base Security; the missing Sergeant had been found; he was in the drunk tank at a nearby town. He would be taken care of by the Base and would not be a problem for her. She thanked them for taking something off of her back.

Liz sat down at the desk and thought about things. It amazed her that it got this bad here and that no one had noticed; and this was something that had not happened overnight; it had taken at least a year and probably two of steady deterioration. How all the signs had been missed was nothing short of incredible; and then she started to think about the interesting coincidence that both the ASP officers in charge had resigned from the military only days apart. Then she looked up as Major Fresnel came in and close the door behind him. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He did not look happy.

"Captain Buchanan, the SF ASP commander, was not SF. Just regular Army. His quarters were checked and they are empty; all his personal effects are gone. His personal cell phone has been canceled; supposedly none of his personal contacts know anything about him leaving the service or where he is. Captain Sanders, the Main Post Ordnance commander, cleared post on Friday. Just one week after resigning. He also seems to have vanished. Captain Jamison is of the opinion that this is all too coincidental and I have to agree."

"I was just thinking about that. For them to up and disappear that fast, tells me that they knew the jig was up; might have gotten a hint of someone starting to check up on things. Now they could be counting on the Army not wanting publicity and just letting them go; or it could be something else. They had to know they were facing court martial and time in Leavenworth. Maybe they were doing more than just doing as little as they could and ignoring anything that would have made them actually work. I have a nasty feeling that we might find a fair amount of inventory missing and no paperwork describing where it went. I hate to suggest this, we might need to contact the FBI and ATF and see if there were any large amounts of military ammunition suddenly showing up in the black market."

Major Fresnel had gotten a little paler as Liz described her worry. He then pulled out his cell phone.

"Sir, have you been told about the two Captains missing and no one being able to contact them? Captain Parker is thinking that we might have to start thinking of a worse possibility then what we have so far been looking at; that those two might have been selling ammunition. Yes sir. If anything more comes up I will let you know."

Liz had been going further down that dark road. When he hung up she quietly asked him about the LT that had transferred out and was supposedly in Europe and the Lt that had left the military one month ago.

"Maybe all of this is just making me paranoid, but what if all four of them were working together?"

"I keep wondering how this can get worse. I need to stop doing that. We need to get that Inventory done ASAP." He then left the office and Liz began to start digging into the files for Receipts and also for inventory records and a stock count showing what was supposed to be in storage.

She went out and got a quick lunch and was back in the office digging into things. Then she went to the SF ASP Office and did the same. Finally getting back to the MAIN ASP office she looked at the stock accounts and began to see if she could find anything noticeably wrong. That did not take long. At 1500 her phone rang.

"Parker."

"Captain Parker, this is Captain Jamison. I just got off the phone with CID HQ in FT Belvoir and they do not like what it is beginning to look like. Col Green, the Chief here at Campbell, just got back from Leave and wants a full briefing. I would like you to be there; he just got in and is looking over what we have so far. Could you come down to the Office?"

"Yes, I have been looking at some records and stock reports and there are indications that it might have been happening. I can be there in about 20 minutes."

Jamison hung up the phone and looked at his CO. "She said she would be up here in about 20 minutes and that from looking at the records so far there are indications that it may have happened."

Col Green shook his head. "Captain Parker; THE Captain Parker?"

"Yes sir."

"She does seem to find the sticky end of things all too often for one person."

"Yes sir, but on the other hand she is extremely competent."

Liz got her paperwork into a folder and headed out to the office area where they were all still going at it on the SOP's.

"I am going to a meeting at CID. If I am not back by 1800 close up and send everyone home for the night. But have everyone back at 0600 tomorrow" to Sergeant Engler.

"Yes Maam."

Liz got to CID HQ and was directed to the CO's Office. She went in and was introduced to Col Green by Captain Jamison.

Col Green got right down to it.

"This whole thing reads like a damn conspiracy nuts book. So far we have been unable to track down either captain or the two Lts that have also slipped from sight. The one in Europe has not followed the itinerary that he provided when he went on leave. He was supposed to go to England and then Germany; he went to England but the trail ends there. He was scheduled to pick up a rental car two days ago and then drive to Germany and then back a week later. He never showed up for the car. All efforts so far to find the other officers have come up empty. The LT drunk here says he knows nothing; his record shows alcohol problems but he was requested by Captain Sanders and was transferred here 18 months ago. My suspicion is that Captain Sanders wanted a drunk at that position so that he would not notice anything. We just have been able to get permission to check their bank accounts and nothing suspicious showed up on any of the four."

Liz opened her folder. "Sir, a large amount of 7.62 X 39 ammunition was in the SF account to be used for various purposes including training on AK 47's for covert operations. I was able to find old files going back 5 years. The usage went up drastically about 14 months ago; just about the time the 5th Group sent out a lot of their personnel for deployment. Which on one hand would make sense; issue to take with and to use in training before they left. However the usage remained constant for the next 12 months only dropping off a month ago; just when many of the units got home. A large amount of the same ammunition was transferred to the SF account on paper and not online where it can be traced by higher HQ. JMC and the WARS report each show a much higher amount of that ammunition here at Campbell then the latest stock report –once again not the online official report-shows. If what I think is correct 500,000 rds is missing."

Col Green sighed and nodded. "Captain Parker, from your experience in Ammunition operations, how hard would that be to hide?"

"Sir I am willing to bet that we will find few if any documents for that ammo; and those that we do will only have the signatures of those four officers on them. SF is known for doing strange things; SOCOM is basically its own world; so it would be easy to claim that it is because of that that that the ammo use is not unusual for THEM. If they were halfway careful, no one would notice. Especially if they kept it constant and steady so that it seems normal after a while. And since those four officers did the entire so called inventory for the SF ASP as both inspectors and checkers, no one else would know."

"What about CAT 1 items and CAT 2 items such as demolition charges?"

"Sir I checked them first; it is very hard to do anything with CAT 1 items due to the monthly inventory requirement and constant worldwide over sight. Nothing looks suspicious there. Same with those CAT 2 items. Any change is very visible. But once again if all 4 were in on this; and the only other one a drunk everyone ignores and probably never sees, it could be possible. If something was done there they just put them in a truck and haul them out. No issue documents at all. One of the sergeants was a drunk as well. Would not be hard to forge his signature on inventory records as well. Or Catch him when he is hung over and just have him sign something he does not even remember signing. Same with the drunk Lt."

Col Green was quiet for a minute then picked up his phone. "Colonel Sims, this is Colonel Green CID. I am here talking with Captain Parker and what she has already dug up indicates that selling ammunition was almost certainly happening. Clear signs of small arms ammunition. But what worries me is that from the way the system is designed, if all 4 of our missing officers were in on it, we could also be seeing CAT 1 and CAT 2 items gone as well. Yes sir. I agree." He hung up.

"He wants a meeting now at Divisional HQ. The General just got in; he like I think this cannot be put off."

Liz got her papers together. "Sir, is the 5th Group Commander in on this?"

"He did not say. You better call him."

Liz pulled out her official phone. "Colonel Collins, this is Captain Parker. Sir that apocalyptic possibility I mentioned yesterday? It is looking more and more like that might have happened. There is a meeting with the Base Commander and Col Green of CID and the Division Commander who just got back that will happen basically as soon as everyone gets there. I would say 20 minutes."

Col Green and Captain Jamison were looking at her. Col Green spoke first.

"Apocalyptic?"

"Sir at that time I was being slightly facetious. But I mentioned the possibility."

"It is not a joke or even close to one now."

"No sir."

Liz got in her vehicle and they got in the Colonels vehicle and headed to Divisional HQ.

Liz was thinking as she drove; could they have been selling Stingers? She had heard rumors that some had hit the black market; but that had always been thought to have come from somewhere other than the US. Maybe they had come from here.

They all headed to the HQ building and as they pulled up the 5 Group Commander and his G4 arrived at the same time. They all headed into the building and to the Divisional HQ office. They were shown right into the office where the Base commander and Divisional G4, as well as Major Fresnel and the Base Security Commander were already present. Introductions were made and everyone sat down; the Divisional commander indicated that Liz sit beside him at the table in the conference room adjoining the office. He started off.

"I came in early after I got the initial report yesterday. I get here and the story gets worse by the hour. Colonel Green, start off."

He described the situation as they had talked earlier. The Divisional commander sat with a stone face then looked at Liz.

"Captain Parker, I want you to do an inventory on all CAT 1 and 2 items ASAP. As soon as this meeting is over I want that started. Who do you need?"

Liz had been thinking about it. "The 2 89B's and one specialist with TAMIS experience. We should be able to get a count very fast and I can compare it with the WARS report. That can probably be done for the 4 MAGS in the MAIN ASP and the 3 MAGs in the SF ASP in about 20-30 minutes each. A total of 4-5 hours."

"Very well. I want this done tonight." Liz nodded and pulled out her cell phone and called the ASP. "This is Captain Parker; I need Sergeant Engler."

"Sergeant Engler, I have been ordered to do an immediate Inventory on CAT 1 and CAT 2 Items tonight. I am at a meeting and will be down soon as it is over. You and Sergeant Simpson as well as one of the TAMIS specialists. Pick one. Send everyone else home and wait there for me."

The General looked around the room. "People we have to face the facts that we are all going to have to carry part of this can. No one here will be considered not partly to blame except Captain Parker. Myself because I am senior here; Base and Group commanders because of their commands. G4's as this is supply. Security and CID for not finding out something was going wrong for quite a while. All we can do is make it right as best we can and accept the consequences. I am going to call the SECDEF and let him know the situation; so this will be going to the White House. I have no doubt it is a matter of time before the media twigs on this overturned garbage can stinking up the base. Captain Parker, what do you see missing at this point?"

"Sir right now I am fairly sure of 500,000 rds of 7.62 X 39. It is more than likely that is the bulk of the problem unless we find CAT 1 or 2 Material missing."

He then looked at Col Green. "IF a Stinger is missing, how much could one sell that for on the black market?"

"Sir, one would have to have contacts for that to get any real money. But if you could reach someone, the price could be anywhere from $100,000 to a million each."

"So that is the worst possibility?"

"Yes sir a missing stinger would be the worst possibility."

"Then we find that out first. Captain Parker, get started on it. I want to know the minute you suspect a Stinger is gone."

"Yes Sir." Liz picked up her folder and left the room and got to the Office in 15 minutes to find the three waiting for her.

After she left the general looked at Col Green. "Send CID with her."

"Yes sir" and he looked at Captain Jamison who nodded and left.

Liz motioned them to follow her. She went into the office and opened the safe, then the key cabinet and pulled out the keys to the CAT 1 and 2 magazines. She then closed the cabinet and then the safe. The three had clipboards and the TAMIS clerk had a copy of the latest WARS report. They were just leaving when Captain Jamison drove up and poked his head out of his hummer.

"I get to watch."

Liz nodded and headed to the ASP. They got to the first magazine which had CAT 2 items in it. They opened it up and quickly started to count. After 20 minutes they looked at the count and the latest planograph report and it matched. The clerk was keeping a running count on the items found. They went to the next magazine that had AT-4's and other AT missiles. Once again the count was good. Then they went to the next magazine that had Stingers in it.

Liz noticed that none of the stinger boxes were strapped to their pallets. She looked at Sgt Engler. "I have not been in a Stinger Mag for years; but I remember that usually they were strapped down."

He nodded. "Yes Maam."

Liz went to the first one and tried to lift it; the weight felt right. She looked at the two sergeants and they checked every box in the magazine. All appeared to be of the right weight. Liz then had them check the seals on the boxes. All appeared intact. She checked the count on the planograph and it matched. She looked around and saw nothing suspicious. Then motioned them to go out.

As they locked the door she looked at Engler. "We will band them to pallets later."

"Yes Maam."

The next magazine had Stingers as well and it also looked good though it also had none of them banded to pallets.

That finished the MAIN ASP. They went back to the office and put the keys away. It was 1900 and getting dark. They headed over to the SF ASP. Got to the office and opened it up. Liz went through the routine and got the keys. They headed to the SF ASP. They went to the one CAT 2 magazine first and checked it; it looked good. Liz then went to the TAMIS clerk and checked the running accounts.

"Looks like CAT 2 lines up with the WARS report."

"Yes MAAM."

Then they went to the CAT 1 MAG, Stingers and AT-4's. They found the same there; not banded but looking good with seals and the weights were right as regards trying the boxes. The AT-4's were properly banded and sealed and looked good; the count matched. So they locked up the mag and headed to the last. By now they were more relaxed as it looked as if the worst possibility was not going to happen.

The last Magazine was a mixture of US and foreign CAT 1 missiles. They first did the AT missiles; some us AT-4's and some Russian ones. The count looked good. There were a dozen Stingers; they were banded to pallets at 4 to a pallet. The seals on the boxes looked good. Then there were some Russian SA-7's; banded and sealed. Then there were some Russian SA-14's. In loose boxes. Liz looked at them and the seals seemed good; she lifted a corner on one and the box came up easily.

Too easily.

She took a deep breath and looked at Sgt Engler. "Get those tools; we are opening this up." He nodded and went out to the truck that Liz had been using; it had some basic banding tools and other tools that could be used to open boxes and containers. Meanwhile Liz went to the pallet of Stingers and pushed at it; it seemed heavy enough. Captain Jamison came over and gave it a push as well and it still seemed heavy enough. They went over to the SA-7's and it also seemed heavy enough. Meanwhile Engler came back in and he and Simpson began to open the box. It took about 5 minutes and they pulled it open and all five of them looked inside.

At an empty box.

Liz then looked at them; "ALL of them now." Then she went outside the magazine and called the General.

"General we have an empty SA-14 box right now; we are opening the others. All the Stingers look good and the SA-7's as well."

"Call me as soon as you have opened all of them."

Liz looked at the TAMIS clerk. "Use that camera; take pictures of each box that we find empty."

Captain Jamison had been making a call as well. He finished and looked at her.

"Now what?"

"We see how many are gone. There are supposed to be 8; they each have everything in the box to fire; missile, control and BCU."

In 20 minutes they were all open; all were empty. Liz made the call.

"General we have 8 SA-14's missing from boxes that were sealed. There is no indication anything else CAT 1 or 2 are missing."

"That is enough. Did they have everything to fire?"

"Yes sir. These are fairly new ones, so the life of the BCU will probably be good for several more years."

Liz was thinking about things as they left the Magazine and closed it up for the night. She talked to Captain Jamison.

"They did this probably on a weekend when no one was around. I would bet that they had been selling the small arms steadily in a way no one would notice; this would be their big score. I imagine they could get $100,000 or more for each one. They probably bundled them out in the back of this truck under a tarp. Then transferred them to one of their vehicles. Then crated them up and somehow shipped them to Europe where that LT is right now. And where I bet all the others are by now as well."

"Two places in Europe; one Spain and sell to the Basque Separatists but that is tough to do so I doubt it. The other is the former Yugoslavia; somewhere down there. Then there is the possibility of trying to sell them to the Chechnyans for use against the Russians."

"Or farther to Turkey to sell to the Kurdish separatists."

"True. But every case there they would have to make contact with someone in each group."

"Which would be very risky; I bet they managed to find an arms dealer and they sold them to him for resale later to the highest bidder."

"I agree."

"The AK ammo could have been sold at Gun Shows and the like; so much of that around and a lot of it are sold in the original Russian boxes. So it would not be noticed. Probably get $500 a box. That would be 200 boxes or $100,000. I would not be surprised to find out more of other types are gone as well. Probably been doing this for the last year and a half. I think Buchanan panicked and took off; he probably felt and rightly so he would be arrested for all of this before we even found the shortages."

"There is already a worldwide alert for all four of them on Interpol."

"If one is going to mess up my money is on Buchanan; the others had time to make arrangements. He had to move fast."

"He is the one we have the best chance of finding."

It was 2000 and another meeting was being held at the Divisional HQ.

"I have talked to the SECDEF and he is not happy to say the least. He wants all the CAT 1 containers opened up so that we can visually confirm they are there. How long would that take, Captain?"

"If we have some help, forklifts and other support, and personnel to do the banding and rebanding and the like, multiple crews can get it done in one day easily."

"Make a list and you will get it."

"Yes sir."

"I want this started at 0600 tomorrow morning."

"I have some good news sir."

"Well I need some what is it?"

"The IDS systems have all been restored; turns out there was a fundamental flaw in the design that allowed a simple bypass to work. Every IDS system of this design worldwide will have to be modified to prevent this. We would not have found that out otherwise."

"Small comfort, Captain Jamison."

"Yes sir."

"No point in extending this meeting any farther; we might as well all go home and start working on our resumes for our next jobs. As you pointed out, Captain Parker in a month will be the only one with a job with the US Army."

Liz thought about that as she went home. Some would call that unfair; but they had been here while it was happening. Even the 101st people had been there before deployment. The Base Personnel though would catch it the worst.

Liz got in and found Max waiting for her. He went into the kitchen and started to warm up something for her. She had not eaten anything since lunch and was very hungry.

"How bad?"

Liz debated for a moment and then figured it would get out sooner or later.

"At least half a million rds for AK-47's and 8 SA-14's."

"Holy shit."

"Yeah."

Liz had given the G4 the list for the next day; 8 forklift operators 4 each for 2 Crews, 6 people for banding and unbanding for each crew; she would have one TAMIS specialist and one of the 89B's on each crew.

The next morning Liz got up early and was at the Main ASP at 0530. Getting ready. The people started coming in before 0600. After thinking about it some more she left both 89B's with the MAIN ASP crew and took the SF crew herself.

The Main ASP crew was opening magazines at 0700. Actually Liz opened all 4 of them and left the keys with them. She then headed to the SF ASP. By 0800 they were at it there. IT went faster than Liz had hopped; each box was opened and the SN verified with what was on record and on the box. By 1400 they were done and nothing wrong was found.

The worldwide alert worked; in Paris the French spotted Buchanan. He was using his civilian Passport. He had flown to England on Friday and had rented a small car and had driven to Paris where he had gotten there on Sunday. Wednesday morning the French got lucky as he rented another vehicle and had to use his Passport for identification and that rang bells. They followed him as he left Paris and drove south then East and entered Switzerland. There the Swiss took over as he kept going East into Austria and then into Hungary where he stopped in Budapest. The Hungarians had him and watched him as he met with three other men. They were identified as the ones most wanted. They tracked them to a meeting with an arms dealer and bagged the whole lot Thursday afternoon. Faced with prison in Hungary they gave up the location of the missiles; a crate shipped to France two weeks earlier. The Arms dealer had assisted them in doing it; he had met Captain Sanders when he had been in Germany on a tour the year before he was sent to the 101st. All four of them would be shipped back to the US for trial.

Liz got the news that they had been caught and the missiles found just as she gave the report to the General.

"Well, did they ask about the small arms?"

"Yes. They had been, as you surmised, selling it box by box at gun shows steadily for over a year. We got a list of what they sold; some US ammo as well; but mostly that AK ammo and other Russian Ammo."

"We will still need to do a full inventory just to make sure the records are straight."

"Get started on that on Monday. You did say you wanted the SOP's done."

"True. We can get those done on Friday."

The SECDEF was giving the good news to the President.

"This could have been a lot worse, sir. This is the worst incident of this kind in almost 40 years."

"And again Captain Parker was instrumental?"

"Yes sir. By starting to check the ASP when she did the whole ball started rolling. Otherwise it would have been at least 12 hours later before we knew anything was wrong. Captain Sanders had recruited most of the people specifically because they were drunks and drug users and unmotivated and unreliable. That in the end is what caught them. And if Captain Parker had not mentioned the possibility of the CAT 1 and 2 problem, that inventory would not have happened that day. If she had not thought to check the boxes for weight, it would not have been found as they were all properly sealed. I believe the French would not have pushed so hard if we had not told them the SA14's were missing. One more day and the deal would have been done and they would have been gone to who knows where."

"It seems like an almost monthly occurrence that she does something."

"Does seem that way sir."

"I take it she will get recognition for this?"

"I believe her promotion to Major would be coming this year anyway with her record."

"See to it she has that promotion by the day she and her unit are recognized at the White House."

"Yes sir."

"I can expect a report and recommendations on how this can be prevented in the future when?"

"Within the month sir. Though I would say the chances of this being pulled off again are very remote."

"Still it did happen once."

"Yes sir."

That Friday they did manage to get the SOP's done by the end of the day and Liz sent them out to be staffed after she read each one.

The Saturday Liz thought about resting but the weather was beautiful and she and the rest of the Posse and the Crew had their usual twice a month Saturday picnic.

Liz was buttonholed right away after eating and the children were running around.

Ellen started it off.

"OK, Liz. Spill. Something happened; half the installation is buzzing. Everyone knows that the ASP's are all screwed up and you have to fix it. But it is more than that, isn't it?"

"Yes something happened and No I am not talking about it."

And they got nothing else despite every trick and entreaty tried. Max also refused to say a word.

Starting the Next week Liz got in 2 LTs for the Main ASP and 1 LT for the SF ASP. The two sergeants processed in. Some more specialists were made available and except for the two commanding officers the TOE was full. 3 more 89B specialists from the next class would be sent in June. So Liz was confident that by July or August at the latest the Ordnance Company and both ASP's would be fine. On Friday she was summoned to the Division HQ for a meeting with the General.

"How are things going, Captain?"

"Except for the new 89B's arriving next month and the new commanding officers, we are complete as regards TOE. I have good personnel who just have to learn the ropes. We will be starting the 100% inventory on Monday and hope to have both ASP's done by Friday."

"Excellent. By the way you will need these to add to your class A's." And proceeded to take off her Captain's Bars and replace it with the gold Oak Leaf signifying a Major.

Liz blinked. He smiled. "You would have gotten that this fall but it was accelerated by order of the President so that when he gives you your Presidential Unit Citation, you will be wearing them. Now head down to Personnel to finish the paperwork. Good day, Major."

"Thank You, sir." Said a slightly dazed Liz.

She was smiling as she got home. She wondered how long Max would take to recognize it. It turned out that Aliya beat him to it. When she got home from school she hugged Liz as usual then stopped and stared at her.

"What is it honey?"

"When did you get promoted?"

They had fun that weekend just staying home and being a family. Even though Liz still had almost 7 more months to go Aliya wanted to start looking at baby names.

It was interesting Monday when Liz came to the Main ASP to start the 100% inventory. Everyone was caught off guard by her promotion. She had made it clear they would be starting at 0600 and would be in the first magazine by 0700 and she pushed and prodded to get it done. The CAT 1 magazines had been done already; the CAT 2 magazines were quickly done as it was a matter of making sure that all the MDC's were updated and the items were correctly palletized and the magazine was orderly. The two TDY QASAS were also present; one of them would be checking each magazine for its semiannual inspection. They also made sure that all condition code tags were correct and noted any packaging that would need to be replaced. Of the 30 magazines, 14 of them were done by the end of the day. By the end of Tuesday 22 were done. The rest were done Wednesday. Thursday they started the SF ASP and 10 of them were done on that day. By 1400 Friday they were all done. Most of the MDC's had to be updated or replaced; but the overall counts were not far off. The missing small arms correlated to what had been admitted by the felons. Liz would spend the next week writing up the reports and making sure all the quantities were correct on the WARS report.

Liz made the first report to the General, G4 and Base Commander; the second for the SF to the Group Commander and the group G4. At 1800 a C-40 landed at Campbell and picked up A Company and related personnel and family members; around 110 total to take them to DC for the award ceremony. Liz was happy to be with the pilots and ground crew; they were happy to see her promotion; and they like everyone else tried to get her to talk about what really had happened at the ASP. Everyone knew about the stoned incident; and that something else had happened that was big. But the details had not gotten out which had surprised Liz; the two sergeants and the specialist had kept their mouths shut.

Nancy and Ted had scheduled a vacation in the NE at that time so they would be there as well; Liz made sure they got their invitations. Nancy had surprised Liz with a quick marriage to Ted that previous Christmas; Liz had wanted to be there but Nancy told her it was a spur of the moment thing. Liz was glad her mother was no longer alone and she liked Ted.

When Liz had checked her Class A uniform, making sure everything looked right and all her ribbons were correctly done, Max had been very quiet. She had just made sure her gold flight wings were correct when she noticed Max had not said anything. She turned towards him and noticed a look on his face she had never seen before.

"What is it Max?"

He got up and pulled her to him and sat down on the bed with her on his lap. Then he very quietly said

"It just hit me as I saw you there with all those ribbons and I realized that I have never told you just how proud I am to be your husband. You are just coming up on 10 years in uniform and you have easily twice the ribbons I got in 20. And you earned every one. There are full generals who do not have as many. And very few have the ones you do; Presidential Medal of Freedom, DSC, DSF, 2 Presidential Unit Citations, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and all the rest; 20 of them. And every single one of them you absolutely earned by what you did. I love you and I will always be proud to be your husband."

Liz was a little misty eyed at that. Aliya had looked at her when she showed her uniform and quietly said

"The girls at school said you have more medals than any woman ever has. Are you a hero?"

Max had placed his hand over Liz's mouth before she could say anything.

"Honey, it is not right for a hero to say it herself. It is for others to say. And yes your mother is a hero."

Liz was thinking of that. The ceremony would be at 10; then there would be pictures and a quick press conference then the whole crowd of awardees and family would have a formal lunch at the White House. Liz dreaded the press conference but had been told it would be short. IT was all carefully choreographed.

Liz stood back with the unit as she waited for the signal. She would lead them up to the area and then stand at the center while the rest would file in behind her. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. Tripping and falling would just be something to make you want to die.

Then she was signaled and she marched out and went right to the spot that had a very small X on it and stood at attention there. The rest of company A and their crew chiefs and ground crew filled in behind her; 56 in all. The National Anthem was played by the Marine Band.

The President gave a short speech; then stood beside the flag and Liz marched up to him, Saluted and stood at attention. He nodded to her and he gave her the plaque for the Unit. She shook his hand and with it at her side in her left hand took two steps back and saluted again and remained at attention.

"From the period 30 March 2010 through 15 February 2011 Company A, 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Brigade, United States Army conducted 275 missions in Afghanistan in Kandahar and Helmand provinces. In support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Company A escorted and supported the forces of the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, United States Special Forces, British Army, Royal Air Force, Royal Marines, and Special Air Service. In those 275 missions not one single member of the Allied coalition lost their life. That is a record unmatched in modern History. In those missions they severely damaged the Taliban and Al Queeda. In recognition of that achievement, their Commander, Major Elizabeth Parker, and the Pilots and Copilots of Company A and their ground crews that ensured their Apache Helicopters would fly, are hereby awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for unparalleled achievement during Combat in the face of the Enemy."

Liz then marched out with the company behind her to the rear of the Rose Garden where they collected. Liz looked around and gave a whistle that got everyone's attention.

"I think it is more than likely, that we will never again all be together as we are today. Sad but true. You guys were the very best any one could ask for to fight alongside of. I was honored to be your commander. Good luck and god bless all of you."

Ted Dugan yelled "Three cheers for Doberman!"

And they did. Then Liz made them line up and she saluted, then shook the hand then hugged every single one of them.

Unknown to all of them, this was caught by a FOX News camera crew that managed to wiggle past the normal restrictions.

Then Liz was taken as the official sacrificial lamb to the Press Room for questions and pictures.

Liz made quite a picture; petite and very cute; and ribbons out the yang. There were dozens of flashes.

Then the questions.

"Major Parker, were you surprised that your command managed to make it through all of those missions with the loss of a single life?"

"Of Course. Anyone would be. The worst part of it was at the very end when that got out; the last few missions were very nerve wracking."

"Major Parker, is it true you have transferred out of the 101st Aviation Brigade?"

"Yes. I asked for and received a transfer to the 160th SOAR."

"Major Parker, doesn't that make you the first woman pilot of the 160th SOAR?"

"I believe so."

"Major Parker, how do you feel about that?"

"Well, someone has to be the first."

"Major Parker, is it true that you had to force your way back to Afghanistan; that you were originally going to be left behind?"

"There was some discussion of that for various reasons but in the end the US Army realized that a commander should go with her troops into combat."

At that point much to her relief the questions were cut off and she escaped to the dinner.

As their commander Liz was placed to the right of the President at the long table. Aliya was alongside and Max beside her. She had huge eyes at everything. Liz managed to keep small talk going with the president. Who mentioned something she had not talked about.

"Major, I was very interested in your mission to find those documents. It was explained to me but somehow I do not think they got it right. Exactly what maneuver did you do to land there?"

Liz took a deep breath. "Sir, the place I had to land was on a ledge at just over 16,000 feet. Now many people do not know this but it is just about impossible for a helicopter to hover at much over 10,000 feet. You have to be moving forward or you will drop. The Mountain was 18,000 feet high. I came over the top of the mountain then around it slowly losing altitude till I could land on the ledge. I had about 2-3 feet clearance from the tips of the rotor to the side of the mountain. And taking off was just as interesting since I had to be very careful or it would stall out; and at that altitude you are very vulnerable to any kind of wind. I unloaded everything in it except for 100 rds of 30MM and a main fuel tank at about 60%. That is something I really do not want to do again if I do not have to."

"I think that would be wise decision."

Liz did not realize that Max had heard that.

Eventually everything was over and they were able to escape at 1300. The C-40 would pick them up at 1600, so they had a couple of hours or so to make it to Andrews. The rest went in a bus but Liz, Max and Aliya went with Ted and Nancy who had rented a minivan. They went down the mall to the Viet Nam wall; and walked through the area. Finally getting in the van to go to Edwards. Liz was glad to spend some time with her mother. She walked with Aliya between her and Max as they headed over to get on the plane.

C-SPAN covered the ceremony so many on Campbell watched. The Posse instead to going to the park congregated with the Posse and friends at Susan's house where they watched it. They cheered when Liz marched out leading her company. They were silent when the award was read. Susan looked at Vicki.

"Just how big is that?"

"No one getting killed? Huge. Everyone in the brigade knew Liz's company was the best. Pretty soon the whole division knew it. You always felt better when A company and Liz were watching over you."

Susan looked at her husband and he nodded. "Word got out; I know we always felt better when Liz was there. Getting towards the end of the tour I know it got almost to knife fighting for who would get her company as escort. When she spent that time taking care of the British it got us all down; we wanted her with us taking care of her own. When she got back everyone relaxed; you could feel it. Somehow we just all knew it was ok. We only lost a handful of people on that tour anyway; but no one had any doubt a lot more would have died if Liz and her company wasn't there. B Company was solid and did well but not as good as A company, not close. And until the end of the tour NO one wanted C Company."

Jesse nodded. "C Company had problems; their commander was good but he had some dud pilots. Finally the word got out that after a mission Liz went to the Battalion Commander and flat out told him that something had to be done. SO they grabbed Liz's XO and fired a couple of the pilots and the company got a lot better. Some of the pilots felt if Liz had not gone and raised hell nothing would have been done."

Ellen chimed in. "You could feel it at the mission brief. The first thing we always did was see who was the escort; if it said A company you relaxed. Anyone else and you were tense until you got back from the mission."

Ruth was quiet. Then she said

"I have convinced Joe to put in for recruiting duty. He expects to get it this fall sometime. He has a shot at getting duty around here so we do not have to leave. Enough is enough. Liz would not have been back even if she had not transferred; and I do not want my husband out there again."

Becky sighed. "We have been talking about it; if we do not get Iraq for the next deployment he is finding a way out."

Susan nodded. "Same here."

Ellen looked at the others. They nodded. "Same with us. We are not going back to Afghanistan a third time."

In a big house in Savanna, three friends watched the ceremony.

Isabelle blinked at a close up of Liz. "Wait a minute, she has the ribbon for a DFC; when did she get that?"

Maria and Tess looked at each other and shrugged.

Tess looked thoughtful. "She did not have it after the last tour; she did not have it when she got the Medal of Freedom. So it happened on this tour and they do not give that out easily."

Maria was thinking hard. "Liz said something about having to do a couple of missions for the Company, the CIA. Wanna bet she had to pull some spook out of trouble and that is how she got it?"

Isabelle and Tess nodded. "Probably." They chorused.

"Liz sure does have a lot of fruit salad. And she will get a lot more when she starts flying for the 160th SOAR."

By the end of June, Liz felt that the situation with the Ordnance Company and the ASP's was pretty much taken care of. The two new captains had been selected and while not Ammunition types, were solid officers. The rest of the personnel were doing well. The new 89B's had arrived and that helped as well. Liz was making sure that all the ammunition personnel were getting training by the new QASAS, who were both very experienced.

SECDEF had ordered a review and a report on the situation; and was looking for suggestions on how to make sure nothing like that could happen again. Liz felt personally that as usual the military was over reacting to a once in a lifetime situation by trying to double lock the barn door long after the horse had been stolen. Also as usual when a team is picked, it is very senior people who have not worked with ammunition or in an ASP for many years if ever. When they showed up at the beginning of June to talk to Liz, she was ready for them.

There was of course a general, a senior QASAS, a senior Ammunition Manager, and a couple of other senior types. They sat in the conference room at Division HQ and asked her for her observations.

Liz looked at them calmly.

"You are mostly not going to like what I have to say."

The general looked at her. "Major Parker, that is an interesting statement. Care to elaborate?"

"I started out my career as an 89B before that MOS had any respect. I saw how the SENIOR Army leadership treated my MOS and Ammunition in general. Then I went into Aviation but got brought back temporarily to fix this installations Ordnance Company. Then 4 years later I have to do it again. BUT the situations had different causes. The first time was because of the general neglect of the Ammunition Field. The Second time had two reasons; one a once in a lifetime coincidence that had corrupt and dishonest multiple officers in one place. Sent here as a dumping ground. The other was the reorganization for what was either the second or third time in the last 10 years of the supply and support organizations of the Army. I have not bothered to keep track. It created a situation where once again you had permanent party personnel here at the ASP and in Ordnance. And that created the opportunity for the incident. Ammunition has a better situation overall in the US Army and the military then it has had for over 30 years. But of course there are still problems. There always will be. You solve one or two and create one or two more. And one of the biggest problems is right here in this review team. Basically its composition insures that there will be more rules and regulations that are not thought out and the critical input that could help will be ignored."

The whole room got very still. The General said quietly "Major, are you saying that this review team is part of the problem and not the solution?"

"Yes Sir."

"And why is that?"

"General, when was the last time you actually worked in an ASP?"

"Never have and you believe recent experience is that important?"

"Yes sir. Has anyone in this room actually worked at an ASP in the last 10-20 years?"

No one said a thing.

The General was silent for a moment, and then sighed.

"I was told that you probably would not respond in a way that we expected. I can now see that was a huge understatement."

The Senior QASAS then spoke up.

"Major Parker, I am willing to bet that you already have proposals. So why not just tell us what they are?"

"Very well sir. Review teams are not a bad idea; how they are put together is where the failure is. You need less senior people with fairly recent experience at working at ASP's. Now not saying no senior people but that the majority of the team should be younger and more in touch with how it is done down here and what the real demands and problem are. That will also help them talk to the people there without the intimidation factor. All too often a review team is given a carefully managed picture. Right now review teams are scheduled at least a year in advance. Gives the installation a full year to cover things up and make it look better than it really is. And then they know that it will be a minimum of two years before that team comes back. A perfect breeding ground for problems. I think a page needs to be taken out of the book written by General Curtis Lemay when he formed the Strategic Air Command. No notice inspections that could come at any time. Which was a big factor in why SAC has been shown to have been one of the best and most competent military commands of all time. Now we do not need to go to those extremes. Say a one month notice. Not enough time for the installation to really cover things up as long as a good team is picked."

There was more silence in the room. Then the General spoke.

"I rather doubt that is all."

"No sir. As regards something like what happened here, that would do a pretty good job on making sure it did not happen again. But I also recommend that at least once a year an independent inventory team comes to each installation and looks things over. And have the installation QASAS go with them looking as well. If both teams are put together correctly and used intelligently, then that would go a long way towards making sure nothing like this can ever happen again. We do not need a new system, or new regulations. Just a better process to catch problems before they get really bad."

The senior Ammunition manager spoke up.

"You do not see the need for tightening anything up?"

"No sir. The Regulations are fairly clear; a process needs to be in place to make sure that they are obeyed. I happen to think that the situation in the Ammunition Community is much better than it was; this was a one off that almost certainly will never happen again. It would be foolish to over react to it."

The General, she noticed, was smiling.

"It is rare that so many senior experts get told they are full of crap. But I cannot honestly disagree with anything you have said."

The senior QASAS was smiling a little as well.

"I doubt I will see it again. Well, we are here so we might as well head down to the ASP and look things over."

Liz took them to the Main ASP office first; where they looked at the records and that there was once again two key cabinets, correct procedures and paper work. Then to the ASP itself and the magazines and looked in a couple. Then to the SF ASP and did it all again. The Senior QASAS was looking at the SOP's.

"Major, these look familiar."

"They are all versions of the SOP's I wrote at Ft Stewart when I was there. When I rebuilt the ordnance company the last time I used the ones I had there and just made necessary changes as regards being on a different installation. The basic tenets and regulations and rules are the same everywhere."

The Ammo manager was looking at one of the reference books Liz had put together years ago. He called the QASAS over to look at it. Liz was showing the general what had been the situation when she showed up that first day.

The Ammo manager and the QASAS looked what Liz considered her Bible over. It was a primer on how to run an ASP; the basic regulations to be used; the basic procedures that had to be followed and what was done at an ASP and why.

"Major Parker, this reference here."

"Yes Sir, that is something I put together over a period of years while a 89B after talking to some different QASAS and basing the needs on my experiences at a ASP."

"Would it be possible to have a copy made of this?"

Liz went to a box on the floor and pulled out several similar binders.

"I had a batch of copies made. How many do you need?"

The general observed this and smiled.

After leaving the ASP the Team had a meeting to discuss their report.

The General started it off.

"Gentlemen, I think our report can be fairly concise. Major Parker's suggestions and comments are so much to the point that I frankly do not feel that we have must of importance to add. Is there any disagreement?"

One by one they all shook their heads. The Senior QASAS mused

"I have rarely seen an Ammunition mission so efficiently organized. Her remarks about when was the last time any of us actually worked in one was brutal, but honest and to the point. We visit, look around at carefully staged operations if they even do any, and then leave and they go back to work as they normally do. She is absolutely correct that that kind of inspection is really of very little worth. And what she considers her bible for ASP operations is the best compilation and guide that I have seen anywhere. I would recommend that it be gone over and then used as just that."

The SECDEF read the report and smiled slightly. This would be interesting when the various organizations that prided themselves on doing inspections read it.

The Division commander looked at his G4.

"So she basically called them stuffed shirts that would not know a real ASP if they fell over one?"

"Pretty much, sir. Not quite that blunt but not far off. What is astonishing is that they accepted it like schoolboys being chewed out by their teacher."

"Which in all honesty is exactly what happened."

"Yes sir. They took copies of her 'bible' and if the Senior QASAS has his way, is going to become truly the ASP bible for ASP's everywhere."

The General was pensive. "He told me that while he would not ask for my resignation, this would be my last position."

"The Base Commander and myself were pretty much told the same thing. The Base Security Chief has put in his retirement papers. Have not heard what the story is with 5th Group."

"SF might be a little more forgiving, but I wonder how hard the SECDEF will push on this?"

At the end of July Liz requested release from her TDY to leave for the 160th SOAR and it was granted. By this time, she was just beginning to show; on her petite figure it was more obvious than those of more ample proportions.

Colonel Ballard welcomed her to his office and she sat down on the chair indicated.

"Well, Major, it is a shame in one respect that you had to clean up that mess as you could have gotten a fair amount of what you will need to learn out of the way. But what is is. You can still do a fair amount before you are unable to do anything but sit behind a desk. I have talked with our Medical Personnel and they have recommended what you can do till after you have your baby. You can observe a lot; and read up on our documents and manuals. Also you can visit the area where they are starting to test the new models. The first production versions came out last month; 6 months behind schedule."

"I would like that sir. I would also if it is possible to visit the plants making them; I think I could get a better feel for the differences if I did that."

"The assembly area would be good for that; you can see all the various parts as well as units in the process."

"Yes sir."

"I think it would not come to you as any surprise that you are being considered for the command of our first Battalion."

"Yes sir. The bad thing about that, sir, is that I would not get all that much chance to fly."

"You might be surprised at how much our battalion commanders fly here in the 160th. But you do have a point. I think Battalion XO would be a better use of your talents. Your record as a company commander was superb and we would be fools not to make use of it. You would retain command of a company while XO."

"That would be very good sir. I want to be able to fly them a lot; they will be very different than regular Apache's and I need to understand those differences."

"An excellent idea. If I may, what is your due date?"

"December 26, sir."

"Well that is good. We do not believe our first company will be fully equipped until November at the earliest. Personally I think January or February is more likely. How much time will you be requesting off for maternity leave?'

"I intend to work right up to Labor, sir. After that, probably 4-6 weeks."

"Speaking as a father that is probably about right. Of course that is as a father. My wife might have something different to say."

"Sir, it will be hard enough to leave my baby and come to my mission. No point in drawing it out. Max has already decided to take a leave of absence starting at birth and going for 2 months. After that we will have to use day care. Not happy about it but that is the way it is."

"Well that will work fine for us. Command has been aware that it would take some time to get the new units up and running."

"Sir, I have been able to talk to some of the pilots of the Little Birds. I got a feel of their operations some while in Afghanistan. They are going to have to change if they want to use Apache's, even the new ones, efficiently. There is no way you can do some of the things Little Birds can do with even a very much improved Apache. It is just too big and too heavy. And I would recommend as part of the training program that if possible any pilots transitioning to the new Apache's from Little Birds fly and qualify with regular apache's first. It is a hunch more than anything else but I think a number of them will have a hard time doing so."

The Commander considered this. He had not flown Little Birds very much and had never flown an Apache. So he really could not say from his own experience how valid her concern might be.

"Well, for the moment you can still fly. I would suggest you get some time in Little Birds to make sure what you suspect is true."

"Always happy to fly, Sir."

Liz had been able to sneak some flight time in on Apache's here and there; enough to keep current. So a chance to fly something different; small and agile was not to be passed up. She was taken to the field by one of the pilots, WO3 Sam Drake, and introduced to the very small helicopter. It had stubby wings on the side where a 4 missile pod of Hellfires or a 7 shot pod of 2.75 could be mounted; also a minigun or even a 30MM could be mounted as well. Used to much larger helicopters, Liz liked the Little Bird. Sam took her up and they tooled around the area; Liz after a while taking the stick.

To call it agile was to say the Pacific Ocean is deep. Comparing them was like comparing a go kart to a sports car. The Sports car is much bigger and faster; but the go kart can do things a sports car could not dream of.

When they landed, she smiled at Sam.

"Now that is a fun bird to fly."

He agreed. "I have never flown an Apache; but I can guess it is a huge difference."

"It is." She gave him the analogy she had come up with and he nodded.

"So these Super Apache's that are coming, will be like the regular apache except souped up?"

"That is what the specs say. Lighter but more powerful; even more sophisticated avionics. Stronger and tougher and better protected. But it will be hugely different from this."

When she went back to see the Commander, he immediately noticed she was concerned.

"Were your suspicions correct?"

"I believe so. It is so agile and sensitive; absolutely nothing like a regular Apache. The Apache is a sports car and the Little Bird is a go kart. That would make it a little tough to transition from the Little Bird to a super Apache. So I really think that those that will be making the change need to get time on a regular Apache."

He nodded. "Well here is your first assignment: write up a training plan for going from a Little Bird to an Apache to a Super Apache. And also work on one for going from a Blackhawk to a super Apache. Get familiar with the various ones we have here."

"I would like to see the assembly plant first. And what about a simulator?"


	8. Chapter 8

"We hope to get a simulator for it about the same time the actual birds come."

It took a week to get authorization for Liz to see the assembly plant; it was at Groom Lake. Which was VERY secretive at the best of times.

"OK, people we have a visitor coming to see what we are doing. A Major Elizabeth Parker from 160th SOAR. I guess they want to look at what they are getting. Probably pissed off that we have slipped 6 months on delivery."

"Like it's our fault that factory screwed up and used the wrong drawing?"

"We be the final stop so we get the grief. Goes with the territory, man."

"So we have to make nice from some broad that got her rank from screwing someone?" Came from a young worker leaning back in his chair with his feet up.

One other worker, older, walked up to him and kicked his chair over. With a yelp he fell to the floor. The older worker stood over him.

"Say anything bad about her again and I will break your legs."

Then he walked out of the room. The kid on the floor was stunned.

"What the hell was that about?"

One other worker smirked at him.

"She blew away a Taliban that was about to shoot a RPG into the chopper his kid brother was on. That answer your question, stupid?"

Another man was following the older worker as he went outside.

"Come on, Ted, the kid was just being a kid."

"I know, but if not for her they would have been picking up pieces of my kid brother with a tweezer. He told me that was the one time in the whole tour he was scared shitless. He saw it coming; was sure he was dead; then the turkey blew into pieces when she put a 30MM HE round into him. That dink is lucky my brother wasn't here; he would already have the broken legs."

The whole situation going to Groom Lake was amusing to Liz. First a security briefing about how you do not ask questions and do not do this and do not do that. Then being flown into the base in a plane with blacked out windows. It lands and taxis to a hanger. Then you are put on a bus with blacked out windows. Finally you get out of the bus and go into a building and get another security briefing. Finally she was taken into the work area where they were assembling the new Apache's. The building is huge and filled with parts; but only a relatively small work crew is there. About 10-12 men. Liz is taken around to see various ones at different stages of assembly. As exhibits they have some structural parts alongside some parts from regular Apache's. Picking them up the difference in weight was huge. The briefer smiled at the look on Liz's face as she then looked at the Titanium part vs the steel part.

"These parts are made by a new process only recently discovered. It is a titanium alloy with parts of other materials that is classified so highly that I imagine only a few people anywhere now it. It is not just a new alloy of titanium, but the actual manufacture process is different. The highest grades of steel were in certain alloys still a good bit stronger than titanium. But this titanium surpasses all known steel alloys. 2000 lbs of weight is saved using it on the main structural members of the frame and body. It is 20% stronger than any steel; and 60% stronger than the original Apache. Yet its weight is even less than normal titanium alloys used today. And it is also more flexible which means the structure will last longer due to much less metal fatigue."

Looking at the cockpit area, he pointed to the areas where the improved Kevlar armor would better protect the pilot and copilot. Then to the wings which for the first time would be fully integrated with the flight control system; unless locked out for weapon use. Liz noticed that the wings were different as well. The briefer nodded at her question.

"New launch pods for both the 2.75 and the Hellfire have also been designed. They will be rectangular not round for the 2.75 or square for the Hellfire. And for the 2.75 will give you 21 rockets instead of 19. Now this would look like a problem as that spreads them out under the wing. The difference is that the pods will go on top of the wing while the new flatter design auxiliary tanks will go under the wing. And there will be a gap that allows airflow over and under the wings that will give you lift. The wings will be capable of a much greater range of movement; which will allow you to shoot at a 60 degree angle, up or down. That will allow shooting 2.75 rockets at a higher altitude. Or dropping down and shooting them up. More flexibility. You will be able to carry four auxiliary tanks and 4 pods at the same time. Once again made possible by the significantly stronger yet lighter alloys in the wing. But you can use the old pods as well; the fixtures will be there if needed. The rocket and hellfire pods can be attached to the top of the wing or the bottom; and if you choose you can double your weapon load and have 8 pods; 4 on top and 4 on bottom."

Then he showed her the engines; or mockups anyway.

"They are even more powerful than the current Rolls Royce engines on the Weyland Apache's. And the system allows the use of all that power. They should also last longer and be less maintenance intensive."

Then they came to the Fenestron Rotor fan for the tail.

"Once again the new alloys at work. This rotor will be lighter but stronger; and the electric motor will give you more thrust then the mechanical one now used. The tail assembly is as you see much thinner. Titanium conduit and two separate cables to power the motor makes this a much more damage resistant area."

Then to the landing gear.

"They will fully retract in flight to rest against the belly of the aircraft; lessening wind resistance. In an emergency they have come up with a CO2 powered cartridge that deploy the gear if the rest of the system is out."

"One of the great complaints over the years was the chin guns jamming due to being exposed to the elements, though various things tried have helped alleviate that problem. They have worked on and have come up with a way to enclose the gun in a fiberglass casing that will give it a greatly increased amount of protection from dust and sand and the like."

Then he showed her the avionics board for the pilot and copilot.

"This is very different than the current Apache; we had several apache pilots advising on this so as to make it simpler and easier to work with. You will have full infrared spectrum capability that can be adjusted for what you need and will work to compensate for the temperature and conditions. That should make night work much easier; you will have the feed available to you on a screen on the board or it can be fed to your helmet and you can view it on your visor."

And a few other things.

"Your ECM and ECCM is much improved; and you will have automatic chaff and flare dispensers as missile defense; that system is what is just about to be installed on the F-22 so it is the best there is; the threat computer will identify the threat and automatically dispense them as needed. Your Sidewinders will be tied into the weapon system so as to give you the same anti air capability as any current fighter has. Furthermore you can also carry the AMRAAM as well."

After all this Liz was a little limp as she made her trip back. This really would be a Super Apache; in some respects able to survive an anti aircraft envelope that up to now only fighters could. She knew that SF operations and thus the 160th SOAR would now and then be in a situation where you would have to worry about that. The weapons capability was also increased; and the capability of the wings to give lift and direction would also make a big difference.

The briefer had really been proud of the new aircraft and for all intents and purposes it would be. Actually very little of the old apache would be in this model. Liz found herself really eager to fly her.

"Well, what does it look like?"

"It is not as great, but in some respects it is like comparing a car made in the 1970's to one made now. It seems as advanced; which makes sense as the original Apache was designed in the 70's. They are putting in systems and features only just built. If it all works, this will be a huge improvement over the Apache in every way. We will be able to carry twice the weapons load; and also have auxiliary tanks and still carry a regular weapons load. No more having to mix and match and compromise for long range missions. He did say that the air refueling system will be different then what is used on the Black Hawk but he did not know what it was."

Colonel Ballard blinked at all this; Liz was certainly glowing with enthusiasm; making her look years younger than 28.

"So does that change your idea about having Little Bird pilots go to the standard Apache first?"

"Actually it emphasizes it. This will be even more complicated to learn and fly; even if they have made some improvements to the cockpit to simplify some things. So going to a Longbow Apache first I would consider an absolute requirement."

"So do you think they will make their new schedule."

"Not a chance."

Now that surprised him.

"I was told last week that they would."

"BS. They have yet to complete one yet. From what I could see, maybe in a week or two the first one will be done. It will go faster after that as they get more familiar with it; the parts are there. One of the problems is that a couple of components have been delayed for various reasons. And unfortunately they are ones that prevent them from going much farther than half way. I saw about 6 that were in that stage. I am pretty sure they got the final components only a week or so ago. They did not say anything but I have eyes."

"I was told they had several already completed."

"I really doubt it unless they have moved them out of the building which I guess is possible. But everything I saw indicated otherwise. Now I think by the end of the month they could have several nearly done. And more next month; but then it will slow down again. I am willing to bet they will not have a full company done until December at the earliest; and then they have to be test flown and checked out and that will probably take a couple of weeks for each one. I would say that they will not send us a company until March or April; maybe later."

He sighed. "Well, nothing we can do about it. So you might as well get started on that training plan."

And she did. After looking at the standard training program for SOAR pilots and copilots, she began to cobble together one that would take a Little Bird or Black Hawk pilot from their current chopper to a regular Apache then to the Super Apache. By necessity it had to be vague as regards the Super Apache as she had not flown one yet nor even sat in a finished one's cockpit. She made it a point to talk to the pilots of both aircraft and then showed them her rough drafts. They had suggestions about some of the steps as regards the Little Birds and Black Hawk. Liz talked to them about the Apache; only the Black Hawk pilots had dealt with anything that sophisticated and even then it was very different than the Apache's. Liz talked them into letting her ride in a couple Black Hawk as Copilot so she could get a feel of the cockpit; it was very advanced and very interesting. Their descriptions of various missions showed they needed every bit of it to get it done. She was rather surprised that none of them had come from Apache's; a couple had cadged rides in one but that was all. And those had flown A models, not the much more advanced Longbows.

One thing Liz saw clearly is that 160th SOAR pilots considered anything normal as boring. One of the reasons, of course, that they had gone to the 160th. That made Liz wonder how they flew on missions. She did not think they flew wild or crazy or careless, but she did wonder.

Liz looked at the current training programs and found they were really vague. After talking to the others she found that was standard. New Pilots were taken in hand by old pilots and taught the ropes personally and apparently as they saw fit. Liz did not think much of this idea and thus made certain that her training plan was a lot more specific. She realized that flexibility was the keyword for the 160th; no argument for a unit that did a lot of very bizarre and different missions. But they should come in trained on normal and standard flying, then adjust and adapt from there. They needed a base to start from. She did not doubt that anyone coming in was already experienced, but that did not mean they were doing it right. She was not surprised when Colonel Ballard appointed her as training officer for the new Apache companies. She thought back to that meeting.

"You know Apache's and how to fight them well. So we need to start there. As the only one in the unit that has flown them in combat, you need to write the parameters. I understand no one really knows what you can do with the Super Apache's, but at least you have good knowledge of what can be done with a regular one. That will be the baseline until we have experience with the new bird. This is going to be a real learning experience for all of us. Mistakes will be made but as long as we learn from them we will get to where we need to be."

Liz steadily worked through the next month on the plans; it was going to be a fairly complicated transition.

The beginning of August and Liz was saddened but not surprised to be told that the 5th Group Commander and his G4 and his chief of security would be retiring. She met Major Fresnel by chance and found that he was acting Base Security Commander; a new one would be coming in soon. Liz nodded sadly.

"Your comment about everyone needing new jobs is coming true."

"I was getting out next year anyway; so for me it's not too bad. Bottom line is that we all screwed the pooch; that should not have happened and would not have happened if we had been doing our jobs right. There were all sorts of warning signs that we ignored or missed."

That night Liz was curled up with Max after Aliya had gone to bed.

"In a couple of months almost all of the people that were in those meetings about the ASP's will be retired or on their way out. They will let the General and the Division G4 serve out the rest of the year and they will be gone as well."

"Honey, maybe they really did not make too many mistakes but in the end if you are in a situation like they were in and missed what had to be several warning signs that each of them should have seen, then it is not unfair of them to pay for it."

"True. Still it is depressing."

"I am still amazed that they have been able to keep this out of the media."

"The four of them pleaded guilty so no court martial. They are doing time at Leavenworth. No one wants it to get out about the SA-14's. I would not be surprised if they got reduced sentences by agreeing to keep quiet. The number of people that actually knew about the SA-14's was pretty small. So maybe it is not that big of a surprise."

A couple of local reporters had heard rumors about trouble at the ASP's, but when told that Major Parker was cleaning up the mess as she had done years ago and not hearing anything more, had dropped the story. It was not big news even if Major Parker usually meant big news.

By the end of August Liz had about done the training plan; and the 160th Commander had her then go over and redo all the training plans for all the different types of helicopters. Then look at all the SOP's and procedures for all aviation operations of the 160th SOAR. Liz realized that this was to keep her busy but still it was a lot. And Liz did think it needed to be done; she had talked to the Group commander on that.

"Sir, do you have a minute?"

"Certainly Major."

"Sir since you assigned me the task of reviewing all aviation procedures in the group I have gone over all of them and I need to get a decision from you."

"What is it?"

"Maybe I am over reacting somewhat; I am new to Special Ops. But I happen to think that most of them are too vague and too loose. I understand that improvisation and flexibility is vital to Special Ops; but I think more needs to go into them. I believe before you can throw the book away you need to read it first. Understand the standard ways things are done before you start working on bending them every which way."

He grinned. "Why do you think I gave this assignment to you? Just to keep you busy until after the baby comes? I have been of that mind ever since I took command last year, but I do not have the time to do it and frankly there is no one in the group that can do it well. I think you can."

Liz blinked. "Oh. Yes Sir."

He grinned again. "Really was not expecting that, were you."

"No sir. So I guess I dive right back in."

"I would like them done before you go on maternity leave."

"Yes sir."

As September began, Liz finally began to noticeably show. Then on her small figure it did not take much. Though she was as of yet the only woman pilot, there were other women in 160th SOAR. Maintenance and staff positions, though others would be opening. She was surprised that they seemed in awe of her, but as she became noticeably pregnant they seemed to finally realize that she was a woman just like them. And that broke the ice. Liz began to eat lunch with them, and talk more with them. Which was good as Liz felt the need to have women around her as her pregnancy progressed. Men were just too uncomfortable with her.

After a few weeks, Liz decided to broach the subject.

"Guys, were you really intimidated by me when I first got here? Because it seemed that way."

Janice, a crew chief for Black Hawk, laughed.

"Liz, of course we were. You seem to have a hard time realizing that you are one of the most famous women in the world."

"Oh, come on, that is a little much."

Delta, a maintenance tech, shook her head.

"Liz, you have a page on Wikipedia. There are websites about you. Just last month you got on the list of 25 most admired American women."

Liz's mouth dropped open.

"Really?"

All the women there laughed.

Janice grinned.

"Liz we all like you because you really do not believe all the press that was written about you. Or take it seriously. Which is a big difference from most celebrities; even some of our more famous SF types and the like. Frankly I consider you a true Hero. As we all do. And yes we were intimidated by you when you first came. Until we got to know you. Now you are just one of the guys to us. But we know what you have done; and think it is great you are here with us now."

October was when the Crew decided to get married; all three of them at once. To say it was a fairly big deal was an understatement. It was held in town at a large church; and Liz was Matron of Honor for all three. She was glad the dress was such that her pregnancy was not made more obvious. It was a lovely ceremony and also a lot of fun with three bouquets and three garters to throw.

The whole division had relaxed when it was disclosed that they would not deploy again for at least another 2 years. With the demands in Iraq all but gone, or at least greatly curtailed, Afghanistan was the only real hot war and it had subsided some to a more simmering nature. With the need down, it was decided that units would deploy as a division once every three years. Now demands for SF and Special Ops were about the same; they were carrying more of the fight in Afghanistan now. Regular units were more into force protection and garrison duty. Ruth was very happy that Joe had got recruiting duty and gotten in locally so they did not have to move. Susan and Becky were also much more relaxed with the extra time and reduced threat. Liz was happy that all her friends there would be around for a good while longer.

November came in as Liz was finally finishing re writing just about everything in the 160th SOAR but how to clean the toilets. At least that was how she felt. As she was beginning her 8th month, it was starting to get difficult to move around. Liz had been very careful to try and keep any hormone induced irascibility to a minimum, locking her office door when she started to feel one coming on. The Commander had put out the word that she was not to be bothered when her door was locked unless it was a critical need. He well remembered what his wife had gotten like at that stage of her pregnancy.

Max had been on the end of her temper a few times and had learned how to fade into the woodwork; for some reason Aliya had the least amount of trouble with Liz. Liz explained it to Max this way

"She just always makes me feel better when I see her."

Aliya was fascinated by the whole process and yet managed to not bother Liz too much. She was happy when Nancy took time off from work and came to stay with Liz on the 15th of December until at least a couple of weeks after the birth. Nancy and Liz and Aliya spent a lot of time just bonding and talking.

The last week before Christmas Liz was so big that she really found it hard to move around much at all. The Commander finally put his foot down and on the 21st told her to go and not come back.

So Liz began to vegetate as she put it. Unable to get up from a sofa or easy chair without help, it finally began to get to her. Aliya was home for Christmas break and Nancy was there as well. They worked hard to keep her occupied but it was not easy. Christmas day came and Liz was very happy to be able to spend it with her family; but just after noon she began to get cramps. And they persisted. Liz had had a view Braxton-Hicks contractions, but nothing like this. She began to think she was starting labor at around 6 PM. But she managed to hide it from everyone and went to bed at 9 PM. Max had dozed off quickly and she tried but was only able to nap. Luckily they had set the bed up so that she only had to roll off to get up; toilet breaks were fairly common. She was timing the contractions -she knew that is what they were- at 30 minutes apart by 3 AM. She had quietly left the bed to sit in a special chair Max had fixed up in the large master bathroom; the only one in the house that Liz did not need help to get out of.

Max woke up and looked at the clock; it said 5 AM. He noticed Liz was not in bed; he got up and went into the bath room where Liz was sitting in the chair, dozing, it looked like. Then she jerked up and groaned softly, holding her stomach. He went to her.

"Liz, are you OK?"

Liz sighed as the pain eased. "What time is it?"

"Just after 5."

Liz decided he needed to be told. "I am in labor. The pains are now 20 minutes apart. But my water has not broke."

"Liz, why didn't you tell me!"

"No point. And at least you got one last good night's sleep. That will not happen for a while."

"I am getting dressed and taking you to the hospital!"

Liz smiled at his semi panic. She had been worried but now strangely she felt calm. She just sat there as Max scrambled around; first getting dressed then waking up Nancy. Who told him to get a grip and calm down. After 15 minutes he came in and asked her what she wanted done.

"Get my bag. After my next contraction I will put something on and we will go."

Not very long after that another contraction hit and thankfully her water broke. That seemed to panic Max again so Liz sent him out and asked him to bring her mother in.

Nancy was totally unsurprised at how calm Liz was and how rattled Max was. Just seemed natural.

"Honey, how are you doing?"

"OK, mom, outside of thinking we need to bind and gag Max."

Nancy had to laugh at that.

"We need him to drive the car so there you are."

Liz thought about that for a moment and reluctantly nodded.

"I guess. Help me get something on and changed and clean this up."

At this time Aliya poked her head in.

"Momma, is the baby coming?"

"Yes it is honey. Max and I will be going to the hospital; Mom will stay with you. This is not going to happen soon; it might take the rest of the day."

And it just about did; James Alexander Evans was born at 445 in the afternoon. At 7lbs, 8 oz he was a pretty big baby.

Liz lay there, exhausted but very happy as she held her son and let him nurse for the first time. Max sat and stared in awe as his wife and child.

The next morning, the Crew and Posse showed up followed by the girls from the 160th. It was a constant stream all day. Liz and James went home that afternoon.

A new baby is exhausting as Liz and Max found out. But Nancy was able to stay for 2 weeks and that helped immensely. Maria, Tess, Isabelle came by for a few days each the week after and that helped as well. Finally it was just Max, Liz, James and Aliya. Fortunately after 3 weeks, James started sleeping more than an hour or so and had gotten up to two hours and sometimes three. So the pace slowed down to the point where Liz and Max were able to cope with the help of Aliya, who proved to be a natural at calming James down. Max had to go back to work after 4 weeks, so it became just Liz and James. Which Liz did not mind at all. Her son was a wonder to her.

After 6 weeks Liz had gotten herself back in shape after working very hard at it. The last two weeks she took James with her to work out at the gym; getting him used to other people and places. On the 12th of February Liz took James to day care and then went to work; it was a lot harder than she thought it would be.

She asked the commander about immediately scheduling her necessary training before she could start flying. And he did. The SERE came first; and that would be tough; he wanted her to have another month to get ready for that. There were some other things she could do before that. Then after the SERE would come the Officers Green Platoon which would last 3 weeks. Then came the orientation training with the Little Birds. For Liz some of the normal courses were cut out because she had already done them; such as the Night Vision training; and some of the other Aviation training. She was looking at about 16-18 weeks of training.

Liz had thought she was used to some tough times; but she was wrong; the aviation orientation not for the little bird was what she got done before SERE; that was tough.

This SERE was a lot tougher than the last one. But she gritted her teeth and made it through. But the Green Platoon for Officers was even worse; physically by far the most demanding she had ever even imagined. She dragged herself to her bunk and somehow managed to drag herself out. Day after day. She learned how to knife fight; how to disarm and disable and kill hand to hand at a level far beyond what she had learned years ago. How to survive and make weapons and eat things that would have made her throw up before this.

Then came the course in orientation for the Little Bird; this was heaven after hell for Liz. Even if it meant traveling to several different states for different terrain navigation and the like. The over water part was new; that was the hardest part but it was still flying and that meant everything.

12 weeks after starting it, on the 1st of June, Liz had completed all the training except for aircraft type. In other words the Super Apache.

The one really bad thing was how much time away from home she had been spending. Sometimes several weeks would go by before she could see Max and her family. She was just lucky that James was still too young to really notice. Even at 6 months.

More delays had come and finally the Super Apache's began to arrive late in May. Since no one had used Apache's in the 160th before, this was all new. And none of the pilots or copilots except Liz had flown one before except at Aviation school. So none had real experience.

After a week's leave to get to know her family again, Liz came back and was watching as the contractor signed over the first 8 Super Apache's. And as senior officer of the new Battalion present, she signed for them. Her Battalion Commander, Jack Del Rio, was taking care of business at the plant by raising hell about the rate of production. Jack, a pretty caustic guy and veteran 160th officer, had made it plain that she would be the one doing most of the heavy lifting as regards flight operations. Which suited Liz fine.

She looked at the other pilots and copilots; only 4 of them were officers, all 2nd Lts fresh out of flight school and OCS. All the other copilots were WO2. The other pilots were WO3. All were experienced pilots but none in attack; all were veterans of Blackhawks. Right now they had twice as many as they had birds. And the ground crews, fresh from their own orientation training in the new super Apache's, were itching to get their hands dirty. So she talked to them.

"OK, People here is the deal. We will not be getting the next 8 birds for another couple of months. So we will be all sharing these 8. I will make sure that everyone gets the same amount of flight time. Now I am the only one here with operational experience on the Longbow; though all of you have had time in training flying them. I am pulling rank and flying her first. Then we will start slow and figure out what the differences are. Ground crews will also switch off to gain experience. Company A starts things out of course; B Company will be formerly stood up as soon as the next 8 show up. So for the time being we will just have a very large company A."

Liz had chosen her copilot; she had gotten all of them together and had them get to know each other and then see if they could match up. It had seemed to work OK. Her copilot was WO2 Doug Sanders, a 27 year old who had joined up as a grunt at 18 and then at 23 had gone to WO school then aviation. He had done one tour in Iraq as a Blackhawk pilot then had come here. He had taken the downgrade to Copilot to fly the new bird. Liz was hoping to bump him up to pilot when the last company stood up in about 6-8 months. He was a quiet type, but when he spoke it meant something. He was also good. Liz had managed to work a deal with the 101st and they had let her fly their apache's and get the others some time on them while waiting for the new ones to arrive.

The Simulator program had had a lot of bugs and they had only gotten it working in the last month. So Liz took Doug and they got into the super bird.

The cockpit was a lot different than a Longbow, but better in Liz's mind. Simpler and less confusing. She cranked it up and after a few minutes of checking everything, took off. Right away she noticed the increased responsiveness and the extra power and less weight. They spent over an hour flying and trying her out; both of them. Then they landed.

Everyone gathered together to hear it from one of their own.

"It really is a hot bird; take a regular longbow and make it faster, quicker and lighter. You notice all of that as soon as you lift off."

She continued for a while then had Doug talk as well, orientating towards the copilots. Then one by one they all got a ride. Liz had scheduled the first couple of days as joy riding time so that the pilots could get a feel of the new bird.

There had been discussion about bringing one of the test pilots to teach but Liz had argued against it.

"We all learn together. That way no one has a real edge. Everyone is equal."

The training plan Liz had come up with took it slow; she did not want to push anyone hard on this. The Super Apache was a very hot ship and she did not want hot rodding.

One of the things that would be new for Liz was the capability of in-flight refueling. The Pave Lows and other larger helicopters had had that capability for a long time. But no Apache had ever had it. This one had the tube located on the belly and it would telescope out 15 feet. Which was different than usual; the other helicopters had a fixed refuel probe. Liz was firm that the crews would have a fair amount of time to get used to the craft before any refueling was attempted.

The first month they took baby steps; then slowly began to do more. They began to maneuver and start to find the limits of what they could do. Liz had everyone at the end of the day come in and talk about what they did and how it seemed to work. Then they began to night fly; and started to work at that. After two months, the beginning of August, Liz told the commander that they were now ready to try the refueling operation.

That was interesting; the AF had specialized C-130 Hercules that had been modified; very extensively modified to MC-130P and more. They were the choice for refueling Helicopters since the low speed of helicopters made any jet a bad risk since the stall speed of regular tankers was too close to the top speed of a helicopter.

The first time Liz tried it, it was a tense situation. There was some turbulence; they were at 8,000 feet at 70% throttle, going about 140 knots. They had found that the top speed of a Super Apache was right at 210 MPH; around 30 MPH faster than a regular Apache. Liz was focusing on the drogue as she maneuvered towards it; the refueling probe telescoped out and she put it right in on the first try; connected and held it for 5 minutes then disengaged and maneuvered away. All these attempts were dry runs; they would each do 10 dry runs before the real thing. This took the 16 pilots 2 days.

The second group of pilots and copilots came during the second month of training. Liz had modified the training program in some areas, finding that she had been cautious and speeded it up.

The first time Liz actually refueled was something to remember; she had run her Super Apache down to 30% and then refueled and the difference was noticeable; that extra weight had to be compensated for. Flying a suddenly much heavier ship required you to adjust in ways not before experienced. She estimated that in a few minutes the aircraft was almost 2000 lbs heavier; which was about 10% of its total weight. She wrote that down in her notes to make sure the others would be ready for it.

The second group of pilots would bring up the strength of the battalion to its TOE limit; and getting them going took more time. She was very busy; especially considering that the Battalion had so few officers compared to the Battalion she was used to. SP OP units traditionally were smaller; fewer staff weenies. But those weenies came in handy to take care of paperwork that flourished in every military unit. Outside of Jack, there was no other officer in the Battalion higher than a captain, and he ran the support company. As a matter of fact he was the only captain in the battalion. Of the 24 pilots, she was by far the most senior; the only Major, no captains, and only 6 Lts, 4 of them 2nd Lts. She had had an interesting discussion with Colonel Ballard and Jack about this.

"You know army regulations require commissioned officers above warrants for some of these duties; yet I hate to burden my pilots with so much of this crap."

Liz was letting off a little steam and both Colonel Ballard and Jack were very amused.

"I am tempted to just toss them and if someone asks I will say that the officer responsible was transferred and has not been replaced. I can probably get away with that for a couple of years at least."

At that Jack handed the Colonel a $20 bill. The Colonel grinned at Liz.

"Just won me $20, Liz. I bet you would say that before the end of the second month; he thought it would be the third."

Liz crossed her arms and glared at them.

"I am glad someone is getting some amusement out of all this."

Still grinning, Colonel Ballard spoke.

"Don't worry about it Liz. I know you try real hard to get it done; if it is not done do not let it bother you. They do not try and enforce it with Special Operations because they never get any support from higher command."

Getting a little more serious, he asked about the status.

"Another month and the first Company will be operational; two months for the second company now that all their birds are here and accepted. The third company – who knows when they get all their Choppers. Probably not until next year."

The colonel nodded. "That is good because we will have need of them by the end of the year."

That got Liz's attention. "Deployment or TDY?"

Spec Ops quite often would do a 2-3 month TDY a couple times a year without a full deployment.

"Since no one knows how things will go, almost certainly TDY the first time or two. The longer range, avionics capability, and fire power of the Super Apache is needed in Afghanistan on Special Operations. And elsewhere."

Liz understood what that last part meant. It was becoming clear that large numbers of the Taliban's leadership as well as Al Queeda were hiding in the border areas of Pakistan. The Pakistani government was weak and unable to control that area; the Army was reluctant to get involved and the ISI played both sides against the middle. It was something that Liz had heard about; the idea was growing that the SF was going to have to start playing hardball there. Which meant that longer range escort craft would be needed. And the possibility that they might have to defend themselves against Pakistani protectors of various areas. She also knew that the limitations of the Little Birds and Black Hawk combat versions were the major reasons behind the Super Apache.

"So they want to go as soon as we have two operational companies."

"Correct. They figure only one is needed at the moment so you can switch them out every few months, reducing the strain on personnel."

"So looking at deploying say in November through January or February?"

"That is what they would like."

"A Company could deploy now if they had to, B Company by October."

"They want to make the move when it gets cold in Northern Afghanistan and the Taliban hole up; they are easier to find."

Liz sat and thought. Then she looked at them.

"C Company can finish training using B Company's ships. So when do they want us to leave?"

"End of October, beginning of November. They want to be operational by mid November. I think 90 days will be about right; then B Company can replace A in January or early February. Then C Company can replace them in May. If they still want you there. This in some ways will be a test to see just how useful the Super Apache will be."

Jack nodded. "There are quite a few that think we spent too much for the difference between Longbows and the new birds. That we should have just gotten Longbows. Maybe modified with new avionics and refuelable. So this will be important."

Liz was quietly talking with Max that night. Holding James as he slept.

"It will be hard to leave; but three months is not bad. And as long as things do not heat up more we can send one Company at a time. The other Battalion will not be up and running for almost a year. And I have been pretty much told the success of the first couple of deployments might decide whether they will even build the next 24."

"3 months is a lot better than 12. And you are getting the feeling that you will not be as busy as you were before?'

"Pretty much a given. The Super Apache is their Sunday punch; not going to waste it doing stuff Little Birds are good at. Frankly a lot of the missions we did could have been done by the Kiowas. But everyone got warm fuzzies having Apache's that we got more calls then we really should have."

"Liz, face the fact that the reason everyone wanted Apache's was that you guys were that good. A Company especially but B Company from what I heard was pretty good as well. Only C Company was not but even they did fairly well."

"One thing I need to push with Jack and Colonel Ballard is that we need to get at least one more senior officer, at least a captain and hopefully a major, in the battalion. Because when B Company replaces A company, they will need someone other than a 1st Lt there."

"You thinking that they might keep you there even after A Company goes home?"

"It is a possibility."

Liz took that up with them a few days later.

"I know you do not like staff weenies and neither do I, but we need some more officers here. What happens when I leave with A Company and B company with only a 1st LT as senior officer?"

Colonel Ballard nodded.

"I know Liz, but the fact of the matter that finding aviation Captains and Majors wanting to come to SOAR is rare."

"Then pull one out of the other battalions. They do not have to be Apache drivers."

"We do not have that many, Liz, as you have noticed."

"They got more than we do. So Share the Wealth."

"Ok, OK. I will call around."

A week later a Captain from a Black Hawk battalion was transferred in. He had been injured in a training accident and it would be some time before he was certified for flight status. So he could take command of B company and free up Lt Harris to actually fight it. Will Manson was his name and he was a character that Liz liked on sight.

Liz looked up from her desk as a tall Blonde captain walked in her office.

"I am looking for Doberman."

"You found her. What's up?"

"I am Captain Will Manson and I just got shanghaied out of my nice comfortable nook and tossed into this mess of snarling vipers. All I was told was to find someone called Doberman."

Liz cocked her head. Was he for real? She doubted that anyone had not heard her call signs and did not know it was her in the 160th.

"Well, Captain, I told them I needed a slave with railroad tracks and you got the short straw. I hope you like 28 hour days and 8 day weeks. If so then you will fit right in."

Will then sat down and grinned at her.

"What can I do to get transferred out of this chicken outfit?"

"Get elected President. Nothing else will work. Your ass is mine."

"So what is the real story why I am here?"

"Actually the first response was not far off. We do not have enough officers in this battalion captain and above. You just raised the number by 33%."

"I will not be fully recovered for at least 3-4 months; probably 6. My elbow and arm need time to get back its full flexibility and time is the only thing that will work."

"You can sign your name, right?"

"Yeah."

"That is all that is required."

Will was to be a lot of fun in the weeks ahead. Openly questioning what he had done to get sentenced to this punishment detail. Liz kept it up by buying him a dog collar and chain and presenting it to him at a meeting one day. Of course he wore it. Liz then had a sign made up for his office that said 'Doberman's Bitch.'"

The countdown to deployment continued through the end of September and into October. Her company A was set; 2nd LT "Slinger" Harris was her second in command and 2nd Platoon commander; she had "Octopus" Johnson as her wingman; "Hammer" Clark , "Hannibal" Lecter as the rest of her platoon; then Slinger had "Romeo" Jones as his wingman and "Chuckee" Smith, "Rhino" Wilson rounding out the company. She had gotten a crew chief almost as good as Grunt in Sam Steed, who was a veteran 160th crewman that had been the top graduate in his class as specializing in the Super Apache. The rest of the support staff was very good, in Liz's somewhat biased view.

One difference in the way that the new Super Apache's would operate then the regular SOAR operated was that they tended to have small groups for most operations; Liz was determined to operate on any real serious mission with no less than a platoon. She worked Slinger extra hard to get him ready for command of the platoon without her around. As she had before, she shot all kinds of scenarios at the pilots and copilots, trying to make them think of how to handle the unexpected.

Liz managed to find some time off before going to get to Savanna and visit Maria and her friends there. It was a good few days. Despite their best efforts, the word had gotten out about the Super Apache's; but the media was stymied in their requests for interviews. SF and the 160th tended to ignore them and they were allowed to by the higher command. So Liz had been able to ignore all requests for interviews. That did not prevent them from speculating.

It just so happened that the second day of the three days that Liz, Max, Aliya and James spent at Maria's in Savanna they were watching the evening news. The 3rd ID had a brigade in Afghanistan so the local media had fairly extensive coverage of it. It was at the northern part, not far from Bagram where the Super Apache's would be in a month or so. This is what came on that night.

"In Channel 7's continuing coverage of the 3rd Brigades tour in Northern Afghanistan, we came upon this bit of information. It is hard to get anything out of Special Forces or Special Operations Command. But we have heard this: an alumni, one of the most famous ones, of the 3rd ID will be making her third tour to Afghanistan soon as a Major commanding a company of New what are called Super Apache's. Not much is known about them outside of the rumor that they have been seriously upgraded in all ways; hence the name Super Apache. But a lot is known about their commander, Major Elizabeth Parker. IT looks like Major Parker will be leading those Super Apache's in their inaugural combat tour; the Major transferred from the 101st Aviation Brigade to the 160th SOAR, Special Operations private air force. It can be safely said that quite a few people will be happy with the Major's return. Her Company A received the Presidential Unit Citation for having a full tour in which not one single allied soldier died while they were on the job escorting them. One hopes that Special Operations will not hog the Major's talents and allow her to continue her record protecting our troops and taking down America's enemies."

Liz sighed. "Oh, jeeze why don't they just say I can walk on water as well."

The others all laughed. Tess grinned. "That will be on your next commendation."

Isabelle agreed. "Give them time, Liz, they will think of it."

Maria just shook her head. "That is the problem with getting a reputation; you have to continue to live up to it."

It was very hard to leave Max and Aliya and James; but she was able to console herself with the realization that it was not a year, only 3 months. What was unexpected was the last minute decision to ship 8 new Super Apache's instead of taking the ones already broken in. Liz was not happy; but the company working them had put in some serious overtime to make up for the short falls and managed to convince the pentagon it was cheaper this way. The Idea was to leave that 8 there and just bring in the people; that way the unit could hit the ground running. Or so the theory went. Liz agreed with the part about leaving them there; she was just not happy to have unfumigated aircraft waiting for them.

They flew in on 15 November to Bagram. This time Liz had her own quarters; one of the improvements there. She would miss her friends but rightly figured she would not have much time for anything else anyway. And that was proven when only a week in she was asked when they could be combat ready. The second day there they had gotten their Apache's up and flying. As she had feared, some bugs were found. But they turned out to be relatively minor.

So when on 22 November she was asked to fly a mission she agreed. Turned out they wanted to start things with a real bang. They were going to hit a village right on the border up in the foot of the mountains. It was about 150 miles from Bagram. 8 Black Hawks and Liz's company would make the assault. The village was spread out so that was why the numbers. And it would be a night assault. This was not done much anymore as it had engendered lots of bad publicity. However this was thought to be a wholly Taliban village so it did not matter.

It had been found that with a full combat load and two auxiliary tanks, the Super Apache could make a strike at 150 miles and still have almost two hours of loiter time. A MC-130 tanker was on call if anyone needed more juice. The Black Hawks also had an auxiliary tank and would stay on the ground; a little distance from the village, guarded by one platoon while the other stayed over the target.

The new night vision goggles were a definite improvement, but it had been found that the gun sight tied into the sensors of the Super Apache was better by a good margin. So the pilots would be using that. The method would be for the copilot to take the stick at the target while the pilot used the gun sight for plinking of any Taliban found.

The village would be hit from all four sides at once; overwhelming it. Liz partialed out her company at two to each side. She went with the mission commander coming in from the west. They would hit it at exactly midnight.

It was the Black Hawks that they had to slow down for; wide open they took an hour to make it to the village. There was no pause they went in and hit the village as fast as they could.

Liz looked through her gun site and could see people starting to run around as the Black Hawks landed and the SF surged into the village. Liz and the others began to pot shoot the figures they could see shooting at the SF.

It was surreal; the sites were so much better than the Longbows. But in a way it was bad; you could see the bodies come apart as the 30MM HE round exploded them. Liz turned off the feeling part of her brain and became a machine; she was Nemesis. One after another. Finally the SF was too close and she quit. Then sent Slinger and the 2nd Platoon to watch over the resting black hawks.

Meanwhile they stayed at 300 feet, watching as the SF moved quickly through the village.

One difference with the 160th was that they did not send reserve black hawks; they did not load them to capacity. Though a MEDEVAC was with them.

Only 30 Minutes was needed before the word came in for extraction. Only minor wounds. And so the first mission was done.

Mission debriefs were a little different; if nothing unusual had happened or if no one had any comments it was over quickly.

There were the Direct Action Penetrators, the special version of the MH-60L, at Bagram as well. Liz met some of them and got the impression that they were not happy that Super Apache's were taking their place. Well that was their problem.

After that first mission they came thick and heavy for the next two weeks before bad weather shut things down. They were all night attacks; and all were successful to varying degrees. Liz considered it a successful mission if no one was killed. That was one record she was determined to keep. None was as big; so Liz split up the company and let Slinger take some on his own; he was developing nicely.

They were grounded for two days and Liz was grateful for the rest. Only one mission a night but they were more stressful than day missions. One big difference she had noted from the last time over 2 years ago that she had been there was that there was less action near Bagram; it was all farther away. Looking at how it was going on elsewhere it was clear the southern command had made good progress and it was under control there. Kandahar was much quieter than it had been. The Aviation unit at Bagram currently was a NG composite unit; and it did not have a very good reputation as regards the attack battalion. They were one of the last units flying AH-64A's, and it showed. Their readiness was at 50%. Their Apache's were old and worn out. The light Attack battalion was good, and had been shouldering more of the load. Since the need was not as great as it had been, nothing was being done. Liz did not need a piano falling on her head to read the tea leaves; and neither did the Special Operations commander at Bagram, who had called her in the day after the first mission.

"Major, I am willing to bet you have noticed a few things about the NG Aviation Brigade we have here."

"If you mean the fact that the Apache Battalion is lucky to have half its craft flying at any one time, I have."

"The Kiowa Warrior Battalion is quite good; and they have been able to make up the shortfall so far."

"So far being the operative word."

"There you have it in a nutshell."

"How do we do this, sir?"

"If you are out on a mission and a request comes in you do what you can; otherwise I have to authorize it. Now mind you I will unless we have a serious mission in progress."

"Understood sir."

Liz quietly let her people know about this; they were not surprised either.

Slinger was blunt: "It's not just that their Apache's are old; their maintenance people are not all that either. And I have not heard good things about their leadership at all."

The rest of them agreed. Hammer put the period on it "Major, we know why we are here. Whether it is supporting SF or someone else. Doesn't really matter."

This was a very good unit, Liz knew. Was it as good as her first Company A? She was not sure; but the difference was not that great.

A week later another situation came up. They had done a couple of small missions, nothing much. Then a big one came up; much like the first one only not quite as far away. Liz still went with two auxiliary tanks, and a full combat load. Better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it, was her Mantra.

The mission went well in the respect that there were no casualties, but that was because there were only a few people in the Village. So it was a quick mission; half an hour on the ground and they were heading back.

The call sign for the company had been Hell Dogs; clearly a play on Liz's call sign. But she did not mind.

"Hell Dog Lead, this is Control. What is your fuel status?"

"Hell Dog Lead to Control. 60% at this time."

"Hell Dog Lead, we have a situation at hand. Switch to frequency 4."

"Hell Dog Lead, Roger. Switching to Frequency 4."

Someone is in trouble. "This is Hell Dog Lead, what is your situation?"

"Hell Dog Lead, we have Delta Alpha Papa's down at coordinates for Whisky Lima Sierra, need support."

Liz checked the coordinates; about 50 miles away. "Hell Dog Lead, we are 20 Mikes out."

"OK, People, heading 235 and balls to the wall!"

Considering they were less than 50 miles from Base, Liz decided to let the Hawks go home alone. So the whole company headed for a rescue mission.

They were all honking right at 200 mph, very nearly the maximum; that used fuel up fairly quick. Liz was considering asking for a tanker run. Then they were almost there and she was calling in.

"Hell Dog Lead to Whiskey Lima Sierra, we are 5 Mikes out, what is your situation?"

"Hell Dog Lead, we have two on the ground with hostiles closing in 5 clicks from you on your present course."

"Roger that."

"Doberman to Slinger, once you spot the objective, swing around to cover the other half of the perimeter."

"Roger that, Doberman."

Liz brought her platoon in hot, and spotted the two DAP's on the ground about 100 meters apart. And she spotted moving figures heading their way.

"Doberman to first platoon, spread out. Let's make sure there are no leaks."

And they let loose with 2.75's. With no village in the immediate vicinity, anyone running around at night in this weather was up to no good. And the intimidation factor of all those good sized explosions was not to be over looked as well.

In only a few minutes, there were no moving figures. Liz checked her gauges; then called out for fuel status from everyone. She had taught them from day one to conserve fuel and the habit had taken; no one was much under her numbers. They could stay for about 90 minutes before they had to leave.

"Hell Dog Lead to Whiskey Lima Sierra, what is the ETA on assistance?"

"Hell Dog Lead, pickup help is one hour away."

Liz groaned. It would take more time than that to head back and refuel.

"Hell Dog Lead to Whiskey Lima Sierra, we have 90 Mikes before bingo status."

"Roger that, will call for juice patrol."

And so they waited. Liz did consider landing and idling half for 45 minutes; then the other half. She worked on the numbers and found that that would only buy them another half hour.

"Whiskey Lima Sierra, juice man will arrive in 40 mikes."

Relieved, Liz smiled. "Roger that."

"Doberman to Slinger, head for the barn; we will keep watch."

"Roger that, Doberman."

Liz then set up the refueling; one by one they would head up to 5000 feet and wait for contact with the tanker. It would pass back and forth over the area while it refueled them. The Apache with the least would head up first. She surveyed the area; it was doubtful anyone would bother them. But they had to keep a sharp eye out. They did not want one to get close with a RPG.

"Tanker Man to Hell Dog Lead, we are open for business."

"Hell Dog Lead to Tanker Man, we are waiting; give us course and altitude and your first customer will be there."

One by one they went up and fueled up. When Liz went up, last, she took her up to 5000 feet and accelerated to 140 Knots and spotted the tanker in the light of the half moon, even before infrared picked it up; Radar of course had him.

She moved up behind him and spotted the drogue and maneuvered toward it; it took a few minutes but she connected on her first try. It did not take long and her main tank was full. The only bad part about the system was that they could not fill up the auxiliary tanks. The pumps were only one way. However, that would still give them a full two more hours plus what was left in their auxiliaries; once informed of the tanking Liz had ordered everyone to switch to their main tank and empty it as much as possible. Liz decided in the future to have them use up their main tanks first for just this contingency.

Their mission had been scheduled for 0200; it was now getting close to 0400; about 2 hrs till dawn. The two Chinooks had arrived and they were working on slinging the Black Hawks; it would not take long.

The rest of the mission was smooth as they were out of there by 0500, and since the Chinooks had to go slow, they did not reach the Base until almost dawn.

The debrief for both was short. Liz once again got the impression that the DAP guys were jealous; and now that they had been rescued it was worse.

Liz then pulled her people together to announce a change in procedures.

"From now on we will use our primary tank until it gets to 10% and then we will switch to auxiliary. However, prior to take off we will test all auxiliary tanks to make sure that the system is working."

With all the extra paperwork and other demands on her time, Liz had very little downtime at all. Mostly to eat and sleep. The one good thing was that time seemed to fly by.

3 Days after the rescue of the DAP's, they had to do it again. Two DAP's supporting a SF S & D mission were hit by 12.7MM and crash landed. The NG Apache's, of which only 10 of 24 were flyable, were fully committed to two other missions. The Range was too far for Little Birds; and the Kiowa warrior Battalion was also fully committed elsewhere; since for once the SF was working the day shift. So Liz had to hustle and get her ready platoon off on short notice. It had been decided to have one platoon fueled and ready to go on short notice; it caused more work for the ground crew but Liz, after consultation with the SF Commander, bearing in mind the situation with the NG Apache Battalion, chose to have them ready to go. If a mission was not scheduled that day or night, one platoon was kept ready anyway. Otherwise they all were.

Liz had them started up and moving within 30 minutes of the message; a new record. The DAP's were over 125 miles away; so it took them at full throttle 40 minutes to get there. They found the Taliban closing in on both DAP's which had been able to use their side guns but had been driven out as the Taliban closed in; both DAP's had taken more hits from RPG's and were burning. Liz came in low and hot and after quickly identifying where the SF was from the purple smoke, ordered her people to hose the area with 2.75's. That took care of most of the Taliban that were close and drove the rest back. They were able to locate the 12.7MM MGs and destroy them as well. Then they began to look for any hiding place and put several 30MM rds in it. The two DAP's had landed and taken off at the same place and the Taliban had been able to move the MGs close and wait for them to come back and pick up the SF. Right behind Liz was 2 MEDEVAC's and two Black Hawks from the NG. At the moment the SF had nothing else available.

After Liz and the others had sanitized the area, the MEDEVACS and Black Hawks landed. The MEDEVACS soon took off with the wounded and the Black Hawks took the rest. Then the mission commander ordered Liz to completely destroy the DAP's, that were in pretty bad shape anyway. The SF was unable to get close enough to set demo charges due to the fires. They needed to make sure nothing classified was captured. So Liz set it up for all four to target each DAP in turn and hit it with a Hellfire. Two to concentrate on the engine area and two to concentrate on the cockpit area. 4 Hellfires can do a lot of damage and they virtually obliterated the DAP's. Then Liz had them do it again on the pieces they could see; using 30MM. After almost half an hour of blasting, there were only very small pieces left and Liz headed them home, escorting the Black Hawks.

At the debrief Liz was closely questioned about the destruction of the DAP's; the Intelligence officer was satisfied that nothing worthwhile could be left. He congratulated Liz on being thorough. Of the 4 DAP pilots, two had been seriously injured and two slightly injured. Luckily no one had been killed.

Liz was summoned to a meeting to the SF and Aviation chief that afternoon. It was just the three of them in the SF compound in the SF commanders' office.

The Aviation commander started it off.

"We only had 4 DAP's here at the moment; so with two gone and two others needing major repairs that will take at least a couple of weeks, we have none. 4 more are going to be moved here but that will take a month; we do not have that many total anyway. So, Major Parker, you will have to cover their missions. We will have to bring in more Black Hawks to compensate, but that will take a couple of weeks. So for the time being we will have to rely on what we can scrape up and what we can borrow from the NG. And their Black Hawks are not set up as ours are; so range will be a problem. We will probably have to set up refueling points, which means using some of our Chinooks or borrowing some of theirs."

Liz was curious. "What is the story with the NG Brigade? I have not heard of any this bad or even close."

The SF Aviation chief sighed. "This is not to leave this room, but the CO of that brigade was a political appointee that should never have been approved. His XO is not much better; and they populated the command with buddies and yes men. Already reports have gone up the chain about them; they have only been here about 3 months. They actually have some good pilots, but their maintenance section is also weak and their operational status is pathetic. And with old equipment, which is what they mostly have, that makes things even worse."

Liz shook her head. "This brigade needs to be relieved."

"Yes it does. But the brass is unwilling to yet make that move for political reasons."

Liz left the office thinking hard. This was a disaster waiting to happen; and it was clear that the higher command in Washington was very reluctant to move. The Brigade came from a politically powerful state. Her people were going to be put to risk because of this, and all the other people who depended on that Aviation Brigade to support them. She took a deep breath and tried to decide what to do. She could email her congressman, but the reality was that that might take time to get things moving without a bigger push. So Liz decided to take a personal risk and talk to a reporter. She just had to figure which one.

There were numerous reporters wandering around Bagram; but to pick one that would not out her was the problem. She knew if she was identified that there would be big trouble for her. If she had to she could take it, but she preferred to not be the sacrificial lamb. Then she figured out how to do it. She wrote up a quick brief of the problems and why; then made sure there was no way to identify where it came from and made copies. Then late that evening she slunk by the press room and left them laying there where they would be found in the morning.

By noon of the next day it was all over the base because several of the reporters were trying to get verification. Which was not hard to get as it was pretty obvious once you knew what to look for.

By the time the base commander was fielding questions and the various national news organizations were starting to wake up to a real juicy scandal, Liz was safely off on a fairly routine mission; Slinger taking one and Liz the other in a resupply of some SF advance bases. There was very little action. They got back in mid afternoon to hear that it had made the national news.

And then Liz got a phone call from the congressman. Liz had splurged and bought a satellite cell phone so she could talk to Max and her family when she wanted to. She got the call in her office writing up the report on the mission.

"Liz, this is your favorite Congressman."

"Good to hear from you sir."

"You might not think so after this call. We just got the word here of a media storm about a messed up NG Aviation Brigade. Is it true?"

"Yes Sir it is messed up bad."

"Unable to continue the mission?"

"Sir they have only been here 3 months and just a day ago only 10 out of 24 Apaches were operational. That is only the beginning. It is bad sir."

"OK. I just wanted to be sure. Take Care, Liz."

"You as well sir."

"I am not getting shot at."

Liz took a deep breath; there was no one around so she relaxed some.

Liz made sure to stay in her office and then her quarters for the rest of that day; luckily no missions came up.

The next morning at 0800 she was told to get to the Base Commanders office.

Liz was a little scared that someone had figured out it had been her, maybe someone had seen something.

She was shown into the main conference room and found several high ranking officers there from the Brits and others of the Multi National force. She began to relax a little at the sight of them.

Then the commanding general of the Afghan theatre in place; not CENTCOM, but the 3 star overseeing the overall campaign in Afghanistan came in along with the Base commander and others including the SF Commander and his Aviation Chief.

The 3 Star started it off.

"I am sure you have all heard about the controversy with the NG Aviation Brigade. It got leaked regarding their problems; it was fairly detailed on what was wrong there. The Media is on this like starving wolves on a big fat cow. The facts are that the NG Brigade was failing in its mission and it was only going to get worse. I had already spoken to CENTCOM about taking action; but it was delayed for various reasons. It no longer is now that it is not only National News in the US, but in most of the allied countries as well. So effective as of one hour ago the Brigade commander and his XO have been relieved for cause. All his battalion commanders have also been relieved for cause. This has never happened before. So now we have to pick up the pieces. It is clear that just relieving the commanders are not enough; this Brigade is fairly rotten and its equipment and aircraft are old and dilapidated. It should never have been sent. So another brigade will be sent to take its place but that will take time. At least two months to get one here and get it up and running. We will be diverting one that was about to deploy to Iraq. In the meantime the SF Aviation Chief will be acting commander of what is left of the brigade. We will be bringing officers in to take over the Battalions and leadership of the Brigade; and we will be making available parts and if necessary maintenance personnel to get what is here running as well as possible. One change immediately is that all the Apache's will be consolidated under the command of Major Parker as a provisional battalion. Major Parker, let me assure you that you have all necessary authority to take what actions are necessary to get more out of them. As an experienced Apache Pilot and commander, you are the best person available. I want to assure all those here as representatives of the Allied Coalition that we will do all we can to clean up this mess."

The SF Aviation chief motioned for Liz to follow him out of the meeting at that point; Liz was happy to go. They went into another conference room and he closed the door.

"I am going to be pulling one of the XO's from our Blackhawk Battalion and putting him in charge of their Black Hawks. Their Chinook people are pretty good so I am letting their XO take over for the time being. The XO of their Kiowa Battalion is good as well; that unit was doing decently and should improve with better leadership. Their Apache Battalion was the real overall weak point; that and their Brigade maintenance. I have people flying in for most of those positions. But we need to know how bad it is with the Apache's right now. So I want you to go down there and take over immediately. And take some of your maintenance people as well to see how bad it is."

Liz thought for a minute. "We have a couple of people that worked on the Longbow Apache; not sure if we have anyone that worked on the A model. But they can certainly get a good idea of the situation. I will head over and collect them and descend on the NG guys like the wrath of God if I need to."

He grinned at that. "You have experience at taking over screwed up units; so have at it. Like the general said, anyone you do not think is up to the job relieve him. You have full authority."

Liz gathered her thoughts as she drove back to the Operations area. She could not complain as she had set this all in motion.

She walked into Operations not at all surprised to see everyone there. Bad news always travels fast. She immediately pulled Sam to her office.

"Sam, does anyone on maintenance have experience with the A model of the Apache?"

He thought for a minute. "Ed Wilson might know something; he worked on them for quite a while before coming to the SOAR in 2008."

"Would anyone else know anything?"

"I can ask but I don't think so."

"Get asking and get Ed here ASAP."

Liz went back into the main area and held up her hands to forestall more questions.

"OK here it is short and sweet. Because of the media firestorm, the Brigade Commander and XO and all the Battalion commanders were relieved for cause. They will be sending a brigade supposed to go to Iraq here to take its place. But in the meantime everything has to be covered. So they are going to throw all of their apache's together with ours to make a provisional Battalion with me as Commander. They also relieved the Apache Battalion XO as well. I am about to head over there and give them the word."

Leaving them to chew on that Liz saw Sam coming with Ed in tow. She signaled them to come into the office. They came in and she closed the door.

"OK, Ed what do you know about A model Apache's?"

"I worked on them for three years before I transferred here; my unit was just getting the Longbow when I left."

"Good. You are coming with me when I take over the NG Apache's. I want you to look them over and their situation. I need to know what we need to get to increase their operational status."

Wasting no further time Liz got her vehicle and she and Ed headed over to where the NG flight line and hangers were. Arriving Liz looked around; then went into their operations building. The first couple of offices she came to were empty but the lights everywhere were on. Finally they got to the break room area where she could hear some arguments going on. She squared her shoulders and marched in. She signaled Ed and he nodded.

"ATTENTION!" yelled Ed and that shut everyone up as Liz walked in the room.

They were at least soldier enough to go to attention.

"At Ease. I am Major Elizabeth Parker and for the time being I will be your commanding officer by order of General McCafferty, Afghan Theatre Commander. I do not have to tell you why this has happened. So no bitching about that. It is done and get used to it. This battalion will be merged with my unit of the 160th SOAR until a replacement Brigade arrives and becomes operational. That is at least two months off. Now I want to see all of the Officers and Crew chiefs starting by seniority. Sgt Wilson will be checking into the maintenance end of things." She walked over to a larger office and saw that it was the Commanders office and went inside and sat at the desk. A captain followed her in. "Name and position and experience."

"Captain Ralph Vinceenes, A Company commander. 3 years, 600 hours."

Liz started making notes as they came in one by one. Overall they did not look bad and none of them were inexperienced; though to her mind the hours did not line up with the years. But it was NG. She had racked up over 600 hours in her last tour. She had almost 1900 total. The Crew Chiefs did not seem bad at all.

She walked out after the last one and found them all waiting.

"For the moment nothing operational will change. Company and platoon commanders will remain as is. But I want to make this clear: I will roll anyone I do not think is good enough." She then walked to where Ed was and motioned him into the office. She closed the door and pointed at the chair and he sat.

"OK. What do you think so far?"

"SO far I think the crew chiefs are competent. I think it was more the leadership and the absolute failure of their maintenance section. Every one of the crew chiefs told me that they had a hard time getting spare parts. I think the operational status would improve greatly just having the necessary parts."

Liz nodded. "OK let's go to the hangers and have a look."

Liz came out of the office and looked at the people gathered there.

"At this moment this unit is grounded. So I want everyone here to write a one page suggestion for how things can be improved. If you do not want to sign it that is fine. Get it done and drop it off on the desk in there."

Then Liz and Ed headed out and went to the hangers. They first went into the offices and Liz confronted the captain that was there.

"I am Major Parker and for the time being I am in command. I want to see your spare parts storage."

There was not much there. Liz looked at the Captain"Why in HELL is there not more spare parts?"

"Sir, we order but nothing has come in since I got here."

"Where is the maintenance Commanders office?"

He took them to a locked office. She turned to the Captain. "Who has the keys?"

"Colonel Jones. He always locks it when he leaves at any time."

She turned to Ed. "Kick it in." The door was not all that solid and it only took one good kick for it to pop open. They went in and started going through the office; she told the Captain to look in the filing cabinet for those order forms. She told Ed to look over the rest of the office and she started going through his desk.

The members of the battalion were working on that paper Liz had ordered when four SF sergeants came in. "We are looking for Major Parker; where is she?"

"Hanger." They trooped out.

The Captain had found the orders; they had sat in the file. Ed had found other paperwork just sitting on the table; some of it was several weeks old. Liz, digging through the desk, found letters from the National Guard Bureau requesting information on orders of non military equipment. Liz looked at them and then found a bottom drawer that was locked as well. She looked up at Ed.

"Get a crowbar."

The SF troopers came in and found Liz. "Major Parker, the Group Commander has assigned us to be your protective detail. He is of the opinion that you might have some resistance to your assumption of command."

Liz rolled her eyes and then patted the side arm she was never without in Afghanistan. "Sergeant, I am quite capable of shooting someone if I have to."

Ed came back in with the crowbar and pried the drawer open. Liz reached in and pulled out some order forms for various things. They were on government forms and they were for non military items. Just on one page there was over $5000 for things like a small utility trailer. Liz sat back; that was where all the money had been going.

At that moment a Lt Colonel came barging in.

"Who are you and what reason did you have for breaking into my office!"

Liz stood up slowly. "It is no longer your office by order of the Theatre Commander. You have been relieved for cause. I am Major Parker and you are under arrest. Sergeant, take him into custody and deliver him to security. The charges are theft and misappropriation of government funds." She then waved the forms to the suddenly pale colonel. The sergeant and one of his men moved to the Colonel. "Sir, you will come with us." And they marched him out.

Liz then looked at the captain and Ed. "Ed, call security and tell them we need an investigator here ASAP. I don't know if they have CID but if they don't whoever has that assignment. Captain, I want you and whoever you need to help you start figuring out what is needed to bring the Battalion back to full operational status." She then pulled out her cell phone.

"Sir, I just had Colonel Barnes arrested for theft and misappropriation of government funds. I found order forms for civilian items in his desk drawer; the funds came out of the maintenance budget. The amount of spare parts on hand will not last one company more than a week or so of missions. The orders were filled out and filed here in his office. He kept it locked so no one could find out."

"Yes Sir. I am betting hundreds of thousands of dollars. My question is: would he have been able to sign off on that?"

"I thought so. This might go higher even then brigade. I found letters from the NGB questioning some purchases; they were copy furnished to the state NG Commander."

"Yes sir, Security has been notified and I have asked for an investigator."

Liz shut it off and looked at the two of them. "Ed, wait here for the Security detail. Captain, get started on those requests. We will need enough to last at least 60 days and better make it 90 to be safe."

"Yes sir."

Liz then headed back to the operations building. Her escort following.

She walked in and checked the office; there was a neat stack of papers; she looked at the people. "Everyone done?" she then picked up the stack.

"I just ordered the arrest of Colonel Barnes for theft and misappropriation of government funds. Those spare parts that you should have got; the money got used for their purposes. They stole from the government, the people and from you; the support you should have gotten. Well that ends now. I will do all I can to make sure you have the parts and support you need. If you show me you are good at your jobs, I will make sure your evaluations show that. Do a job for me and I will have your back."

She then walked out and went back to her office at the Spec Ops flight line. Once again with escort.

She then went over the papers. Most of them bitched about the lack of support; some of it was about the company commanders but Liz was a little leery of what they said; she would be more likely to suspect them. Overall she did not see anything to really worry about. Well that was good. Then her office phone rang.

"Major, this is Sergeant Wilson. They do have CID here and they are investigating. What do you want me to do now?"

"Check with that Captain and see if he needs help; if not take the rest of the day off."

"ROGER that sir."

Liz smiled at that and put down the phone. Then she called the SF Maintenance chief. "Captain Dawson? Major Parker. Doing things our way, how fast can you get parts from the US? We are going to need a lot of A model Apache parts; and I would not be surprised if they also need Kiowa Warrior, Blackhawk and Chinook parts. Some of that we might have; see how much we can let them have and still maintain operations for a while. Talk to Captain Wallace at the NG maintenance section. He is working on the list now for Apache's, A model."

She then called the Aviation Commander.

"Sir, spare parts are at the critical level for the Apache. I have a bad feeling it might not be all that much better for the others. I have Captain Dawson working on that problem now and the NG captain working on what they need for the Apache. Yes Sir."

Meanwhile the SECDEF was getting a phone call from the Theatre commander.

"Sir, Major Parker has already found evidence that the CID is looking at that shows theft on a massive scale. Money for parts diverted for private use. The Spare parts issue comes from that. What makes it worse was that she found enquiries from the NGB about some of those orders on government forms using government money and they were copy furnished to the State NG Commander. Yes Sir it seems to get worse by the hour. I will keep you informed."

SECDEF sighed and picked up another Phone. "I need to see the President soon; it is serious."

Liz gathered her company.

"As of now, let's get all the Apache's armed and fueled. No telling how long it may take to get the other guys up and running. So for the time being we are it for the heavy hitters. For the time being one platoon will ready for 1 hr response."

At 1600 Liz got a call for another meeting at HQ. She still had her detail, which now insisted on driving her vehicle.

This time it was the Theatre commander, G4, SF commander, Aviation Commander, CID commander, and Liz.

The theatre commander noticed Liz's detail and asked the SF commander

"Major Parker seems to have a bigger detail than I do?"

"Sir, all things considered I thought it might not be a bad idea until things settle down."

"Probably a good idea."

He then waited until Liz sat down.

"Major Asher of CID will make his preliminary report."

"Following up on Major Parker's initial report, after a thorough check of all Maintenance records and offices, substantial evidence of continued and large scale fraud was found. The total will probably reach several million dollars. At this time it is hard to determine when it started, but it has been ongoing now for at least 2 years. It is also likely that officials of the State NG bureau were involved all the way up to and including the state NG Commander."

The general then nodded to the G4.

"At this time, we are still working on just how much is needed to bring them back into solid operational status. All the units were short on spare parts; the Apache Battalion especially."

He then gestured to the Aviation Commander.

"The leadership at the top was either incompetent or corrupt. All officers over captain with the exception of XO's of the Kiowa warrior battalion and the Chinook Battalion have been relieved. They appear competent to assume command at least temporarily. Major Parker will take over consolidating the Apache battalion with her company. I am reassigning one of my XO's to take over one Black Hawk Battalion. At this time I think consolidating the battalions of the Black Hawks is a reasonable answer."

He then looked at Liz. "Major Parker, what is your evaluation at this time of the Apache Battalion?"

"Sir, their leadership stank. From what I have seen, I think that the majority are reasonably competent. I am not going to even bother to read the evals of the relieved officers; clearly favoritism and the like were rampant. What I am going to do if there are no calls for support tomorrow is go up in one of their operational Apache's as the copilot for a check ride of each of their pilots. I should be able to get that done in one day. I will then know just how good their pilots are. The spare parts situation is critical; I have been discussing that with our SF Maintenance personnel to see what they can spare for the other units. I have the Captain from the Apache Maintenance section working on a list for parts needed to last the Battalion for 90 days; he should have that list finished sometime today. We need to get that list off and response as fast as possible."

The general looked at his G4. "As soon as that list is ready it will be considered a critical national security priority. Have maintenance send us a 90 Day supply of estimated parts needs for the helicopters of that brigade."

"Yes sir."

The general adjourned the meeting; the Aviation commander indicated he wanted to speak to the SF commander and the General. He nodded and waited for the others to leave.

"General, this might be a little much but I want to designate Major Parker as the Acting Brigade XO. She has a better grip on the situation than any of us do. And that would give her the authority to get anything fast done that needs to be done."

"That is putting a lot on her plate, Colonel."

"Yes sir but on the other hand she has experience at taking disaster areas and shaping them up quickly. She has done it twice before."

He looked at the SF commander. "Your thoughts?"

"I agree sir. It is a lot but she can handle it and probably better than anyone we can find for the foreseeable future."

"Very well. Get it done for my signature."

"Yes sir."

Liz headed back to her office; she looked around the building and considered some things. They had a lot more room in this building then they used. There had been several SF facilities built since she had been there last. She went out and saw the Maintenance Company commander.

"Captain Dawson, please come into my office."

He sat down and she closed the door.

"Would we have room if we relocated that Apache Battalion here?"

He blinked then thought about it. "Yes sir. It might get a little cramped but not too much." Liz nodded and picked up her phone.

"Sir, in the interests of efficiency and frankly to make my life a little easier I would like to relocate the NG Apache Battalion to our facility; we do have room."

"Thank you sir. OH. Yes sir." A little dazed she put down the phone.

"Major, what is it?"

"I just got made the acting XO of the NG Brigade."

"I would say congratulations but I think that that would be in error."

"yeah."

"This is a Fox News special report. Scandal in Afghanistan. The theatre Commander, Lt General Mccafferty, has relieved for cause the Commander and most of the senior officers of the NG Brigade from ….."

"This is a Fox News Special report. Scandal in Afghanistan. More information is slowly coming out of Bagram AFB where the NG Brigade from…"

"This is Fox News Tonight. It has been a very interesting day at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, to say the least. We now have information that the Senior officers of the NG brigade that were relieved this same day have been arrested for what is being called the largest theft and misappropriation of DOD funds in many years. This follows their relief due to the failure of the Brigade to fulfill its mission of supporting the American and Allied forces there. It now seems clear that the failure was due to the diversion of funds that were supposed to purchase spare parts for the Brigades helicopters. Those funds apparently went into the pockets of the Brigades senior officers or were used to purchase items such as TVs and other items for their own personal use. It is rumored that this scandal goes all the way to the office of the State NG Commander, Major General…."

With her new found authority Liz headed to the NG operations building.

She came into the office and whistled which needless to say got their attention.

"I have just been appointed acting Brigade XO. So I am giving this order right now. Pack up everything and move to the SF operations building that my Apache Company has been using. We have the room and it makes it simpler for me. Also your helicopters and maintenance section will move as well. We can tow the helicopters and it's not like there is much in the way of spare parts to move."

She saw Captain Wallace. "Captain, as of now you are Acting Battalion Maintenance commander. Is that list done?"

"Yes sir."

"Take it yourself up to the Theatre G4 at HQ. They are waiting for it. And inform them of your appointment."

"Yes sir."

She looked around. "Ok, everyone. CHOP CHOP. Let's get moving."

She then headed over to the SF operations building and saw that they were concentrating together and making room. It was not long before the NG people started to arrive. Liz assigned the company's to various rooms and the Maintenance people to others. It did get a little crowded but not much. She then went out and checked the Hanger; already Apache's were being pulled into the SF Hanger. By 2000 amazingly it was done. She looked around at everyone.

"OK, people, get something to eat and hit the sack. Tomorrow will be another busy day. I want all people here at 0700."

Just at that minute, a phone rang. One of the NG officers answered it. Then Looked at Liz. "Sir, a fire base under attack requests support."

Liz took a deep breath. Then looked at Slinger. "Your platoon was on alert today; looks like you get less sleep. OK your people do not have to report until 0900. Get to work. Everyone not with 2nd Platoon get outta here."

Liz lingered until they took off 35 Minutes later; the fire base was only 60 miles away; with luck they would be back and done before midnight. Liz then, with her detail, went and got something to eat. She took her detail with her into the senior officer's part of the Main Mess hall. Ignoring the looks of anyone who dared to glance her way. She was able to relax a little and then hit the sack with her alarm set for 0600. It was 2100.

She woke up at 0535, and instead of trying to get any more sleep she just got up and showered; it was nice having her own bathroom. She got out and headed to the mess hall for breakfast. Her detail was waiting for her. She asked them how long they were stuck with her; the Sergeant grinned.

"Major, this is an easy detail. We do not mind it at all."

They then got to Operations at 0630. To find most of them already there. She got details on Slinger's mission; they had gotten back at 2230. No problems. Her platoon was now armed and ready. She thanked Sam who shrugged and told her that it did not take long to arm them; the fuel was already in the tank. She then talked to the three captains commanding the companies; at the moment only 4-5 were operational in each. A total of 13 out of 24. 54%. Not good. She then told them that today they would be doing check rides and she would be riding in the copilot seat. She told them to get one fueled and ready, but not armed.

Then one by one she spent half an hour in the air with each pilot. They started at 0800 and finished at 2100. She did not think any of them were poor. But clearly the lack of spare parts had prevented them from flying as much as they should have been. She had forgotten how old the A Model's were; compared to hers they were like the Model T Ford. She would have to remember that they had nowhere near the capability at night hers had; but daytime they should be OK.

She was glad to spend the day in the air as things were still settling on the ground. While she waited for it to be refueled a couple of times she kept in touch with things. The word came that the parts request had been sent and was being filled as they spoke. They hoped to have it too them within 72 hours. Liz thought they might be a little optimistic due to the age of the A model. The Aviation commander had told her that they had put off a few missions in order to let things settle down; she told him she was grateful. The Maintenance people thought that the situation with the rest of the NG choppers was manageable for the short term with what they had on hand between them and the SF parts supply.

"This is Fox News tonight. The Continuing Fallout of the Scandal in Afghanistan has now reached the NG HQ of the State Brigade. The Major General in command has resigned; but information has come out that he will be charged as the officers of that brigade already have. The Governor, who appointed the General despite opposition, has claimed he had no knowledge of the purported thefts. But already there are calls for his resignation that are gaining strength at the State Capital; where our reporter…."

Liz's appointment as Acting Brigade XO had leaked out; and that garnered a fair amount of attention. The additional fact that she had consolidated the NG Apache's with her company also got out.

At Campbell there was a lot of shaking of heads. Liz had found herself another goat rope to unravel. At their get together, due to the weather inside one of the pavilions, the Crew + Husbands and the Posse + husbands talked about it.

Vicki shrugged. "They always seem to find a way to drop it in her lap."

Three good friends gathered at Maria's also shook their heads.

Tess put it best. "She might as well have a shovel in her office at all times."

The day after the check rides Liz was told that they needed to start flying again; she figured she should be grateful things had been that quiet. There were three missions for that day that required Apache support; one was fairly close and she gave that to the NG A company; they were able to put four in the air and did that one. Liz took the farthest one out that turned out to be the easiest; and Slinger took the third. All were relatively OK. No serious casualties or damage to any helicopters. While flying their check rides, Liz had talked to each pilot, impressing them on how she wanted things done. She had all the pilots working on scenarios and responses to situations. That afternoon a request for support from a UK Royal Commando Patrol Base came through and Liz took that one herself; it got a little hairy as the Taliban had managed to gather together a fairly respectable force. But they were clearly not the top of the line and were easy prey.

The following day things were pretty quiet; the only resupply operations were supported by Kiowa warriors. The SF was quiet for the moment; Little Birds escorting Blackhawks; and they had been able to replace the 2 Destroyed DAP's with 4 and the other two had been repaired so for the time being they were sufficient. The SF commander had told Liz, though, that they would have some big missions in the next couple of weeks that would need her whole company.

Liz found the paperwork of being the acting XO of a Brigade daunting; so she tried to ignore it as much as she could. She dived right into working on the NG apache battalion to try and shape them up. She got good news on that day as the word came that by virtually grabbing every single spare part from every unit that had any, it was possible to get the necessary bits and pieces that were needed to bring the Apache's up to code. They would be there the next day. So Liz decided to have all available maintenance people in the entire brigade plus SF to help out when the parts got there; they would work on every Apache. The Aviation Commander agreed and set it in motion.

Liz had the maintenance captain for the 160th plus Captain Wallace in her office and put it to them.

"We will have virtually every maintenance person available. Use the crew chiefs and crews as the primary workers and everyone else helping move the parts and hand the tools and the like. We should be able to put 4-5 people helping each of the birds. When that plane sets down, we have crews with forklifts moving to it right away and pulling the pallets of parts off. Then we will tear the pallets apart and lay them out in groups. We will put all the parts for each apache in one area and those parts will then be moved to their respective copters. Then they start working the Apache's. We work until they are too tired to do it right; then sleep and then start up until they are all done. If parts are not quite due replace them anyway; I want as close to a complete overhaul as we can get."

The C-5B landed at 0800 the next morning and they were ready; it was unloaded in one hour and in two more all the pallets had been separated into the parts for 24 Apache's. Then the spare ones were taken into the Hanger storage area. By noon they were working the Apache's. Liz was in the air as two resupply missions were scheduled for the morning and two for the afternoon. Thankfully there was very little for them to do. When she landed at 1600 that afternoon and checked on the progress, she was happy to see that the currently operational Apache's had been redone as requested; and the nonoperational Apache's were on their way. Her people were busy on their birds and some of the others had to go and work the Chinooks and Blackhawks used on the supply runs but otherwise the ground crews moved fast with the extra work; and as each Apache was done that crew began to help others. Having the extra hands to tear open and unpack boxes made a huge difference. By 2000 that night they were done and exhausted. She told everyone to hit the sack and not report until 0800 the next day.

"Fox News Special Report, the Scandal in Afghanistan. In only 5 days the scandal about the theft of money meant to keep the Helicopters running in Afghanistan has had major consequences in the US. Governor Banker has given notice he will resign; while still claiming no knowledge of the thefts. But the fact that he insisted on nominating the General clearly implicated for head of the State National guard has become too much for his party and he has been forced to hand in his resignation effective in 24 hours. Just yesterday the General was formally charged, bringing the total number of NG officers indicted to 16. Reporter…"

Liz was informed the next day that they wanted to start a campaign the day after. She had the whole Battalion flying that day; and drilled them hard. Then had them out firing all weapons until exhausted. She could see clear progress by the end of the day. The next morning at 0700 she had everyone in.

"OK people, now we get back to work. Today is the beginning of a campaign to hurt the Taliban bad. We will be flying night and day for the next several days to get things done. The A Models will be doing all the day flying and the Super Apache's will be doing the night flying. There will be 3 large missions each day and two smaller ones at night; all SF. We will do this as long as the machines hold up."

That day the NG Apache's headed out and got it done; they had a couple of hairy moments but nothing serious. They did well and had no damage; and outside of a few bullet holes in some Black Hawks there was none to any other ships. A few wounded but not badly on the ground. Liz and Slinger's missions that night were almost as routine; more shots fired by the Apache's but only minor wounds to any of the SF.

The next day was a little more hairy for the NG guys; they had a resupply mission that the Taliban tried to interrupt and it got tense for a while but they got it done. That night was also more tense for Liz as the village her group hit shot back with 12.7MM and damaged one of the SF Blackhawks; but not seriously and it was able to limp back to base. Liz personally hosed the area the shots came from and was pretty sure she had evened the score.

The next day was a bellwether for the NG; three big missions attacking larger villages that required solid support. And they got it done. After each mission Liz made sure to give them hard critiques; but to also give praise when it was due. Liz could see their confidence increasing as well as their abilities. They were good flyers; they just needed the leadership and support to get it done. That night two more missions for Liz and Slinger; virtual cake walks.

The batch of missions reached their crescendo on the 4th day when it was decided to hit even more targets. Liz, after being told that there would be no night mission, wanted to get it all done and they did 8 missions in the morning and 8 in the afternoon. One company splitting into its platoons for each mission. SF and the ground pounders got together and hit virtually every target available in the area. Some of them were quickly mounted and virtually every available Black Hawk and Chinook was used. The morning missions took off just before Dawn; and were all done by 1000; the afternoon missions took off at 1300 and got done just after dark. They did not do a mission debrief after the evening one because everyone was dropping. So Liz postponed it until the next morning.

There was a fair amount of shooting by everyone at one time or another that day. The SF fully extended itself using all its Little Birds and DAP's. At least two dozen targets overall were hit that day; an all-time record for Bagram. And amazingly no chopper was seriously damaged and only a few troopers were more than moderately wounded. This campaign convinced the remaining Taliban to virtually pack it in for the time being.

The next day Liz pulled everyone in for the last debriefing and to talk to them.

After it was over she looked at the assembled personnel; all the pilots, copilots and crews.

"People, we set an all-time record for number of targets hit in one day yesterday. The last four days were also a record. And not one chopper was seriously damaged and only a few troopers were more than moderately wounded, and we did not lost anyone. Meantime we put a serious hurt on the Taliban in this area. So pilots get your reports done and maintenance get your birds done; and as soon as you have finished those tasks, take the rest of the day off. You have fully earned it."

Liz got her own paperwork done then went to a meeting with the SF commander and Aviation commander.

The SF commander was cheerful.

"All our intelligence says the Taliban have abandoned their forward bases and have slinked back to Pakistan. This offensive really rocked them hard. They took a lot of losses, and there are indications a lot of their mid-level people got taken out. All the more reason for them to go and try and recover in what they think is their safe haven."

It did not take a piano to fall on Liz's head to know what was coming next.

"When do we start?"

"We start hitting their refuges in Pakistan tomorrow night. They will have just arrived and will not be moving much; that is their pattern. Predator and other intel tells us that these two moderately sized villages in this area of the tribal regions is where a lot of them are gathering. And we will hit them. The DAP's will hit two others, not as far away. These three near ones will be hit with Black Hawks and Little Birds. We think if we can clean out those 7 targets, this will hurt them so much they will be unable to do much of anything for several months."

The Aviation commander then took over.

"The two targets you will be a part of are the farthest into Pakistan; we will hit them right at midnight. We will have four tanker aircraft available tomorrow night for all our operations. One possible concern is that these two targets might have some fairly heavy defensive weapons. That means 23 MM and almost certainly several 12.7MM. It is also possible they might have some Russian SA-7's. Now they should pose no threat to you; your birds have those automatic systems which so far have been shown to be very effective against hand held systems."

Liz nodded, soberly. Then asked. "Is one of them supposed to be tougher than the other?"

"Yes. This one is more likely to have any heavy weaponry. I am guessing that is the one you will take."

"Of course sir. Commander's privilege and obligation."

"Another thing about this is that it will be Christmas Eve. So there is a very good chance they might think we will not hit them."

Liz blinked; she had actually forgotten.

Liz briefed her company that afternoon.

"Slinger will hit this target; 1st platoon will hit this target. Be warned; there will almost certainly be 12.7's; and probably 23MM. The good news is that it's a new moon and they will have a very hard time seeing anything. While we have our fancy toys. Now I do want to make this clear; these targets are in Pakistan, so make sure of what you shoot at. There will be a stink about this raid no matter what; but we have to do our best to make sure only those holding a weapon and shooting at us get waxed. That means while we will take a full combat load, we will primarily use our 30MM."

They took off at 1015; full combat and four auxiliary tanks; the first time they had gone at Max take off load. Liz could tell; the Apache was not happy. But she got off the ground and since they were going at the max speed of the SF Black Hawks, they burned a fair amount of fuel for the target that was 180 miles away. Since the SF birds were also at max fuel, they were a little slow that night. It took almost an hour and a half to get there. Per operating procedure, they had made sure all auxiliaries were working, and then switched over to the main. They used just over 60% getting there.

It had been decided to do it fast and mean; all 12 birds in a group, the Apache's on the outside and the Black Hawks inside. The Black Hawks swooped down and deposited their troops, and then lifted off and hovered at a slight distance; the Apache's just hovered. Resistance was light as it did appear they had gotten total surprise. Then some fighters started to appear; they got plinked. Two 12.7's opened up wildly and got toasted. Then it was virtually still; though they could see weapon flashes in the village; it appeared the SF had them on the run and they were backing off fast. Liz as she had planned then moved to the rear of the village, with Octopus at her side. A stream of people were running from the village; women and children mixed in. There were a few with arms but they were too close to the others and Liz held fire. Then the stream all but stopped; she could still see the flash of weapons fire but it was close to the end of the village. Soon a group, followed by another group was running. Liz zeroed in on the first group; several were armed; but only with pistols. Liz knew that that meant they were almost certainly Taliban. Liz fired 4 rds of 30MM HE right at their feet; they were tossed in the air, several legs flying off separate from the bodies. Then she targeted the second group that was firing into the village and blew them totally away. Right after that she could see SF troops quickly heading towards the two groups, concentrating on the group in front. She saw the flashes of camera's and then a couple of pistol shots as they made sure these Taliban would bother no one again. Right after that they got the word to withdraw. Liz pulled back and lined up her platoon.

"Doberman to everyone; be ready; if there is anything left they will fire when the hawks land."

And sure enough a 23MM opened up; Octopus saw it and hosed it; it scored no hits. And that was it. They took off when the Black Hawks did.

They were two thirds the way back when the call came.

"Lulu Baker 23 calling Hell Dog Lead."

"Hell Dog Lead, go ahead."

"Hell Dog Lead need some help at Xray Tango Golf 456"

Liz checked her fuel by habit; they had plenty. "Hell Dog Lead, roger that. ETA is 40 minutes."

The Commander of the strike team told Liz to take everyone; they were close enough. So Liz did; changing course and flooring it. The Apache's had switched over to the auxiliary one at the village; she ordered them to switch to 2. On the other side which would balance the bird again. They did better than she thought; she called in at the 30 Minute mark.

"Hell Dog Lead to Lulu Baker 23, we are 5 mikes out, what is the situation?"

"Hell dog Lead we have a downed Baker Hotel; recovery is 30 mikes out but we are at Bingo Status; contact them on frequency 3."

"Roger that." Liz then changed to that frequency, the others doing the same.

"Hell Dog Lead to Baker Hotel on the floor; how is the view?"

"Baker Hotel to Hell Dog Lead; view is fine now that you are here; nothing to see otherwise."

"Roger that, we will look around."

So Liz and the others; once they had pin pointed the downed Black Hawk, then looked over the area carefully; apparently they had been damaged but had been able to move some miles from the target and land in a fairly open area. So it was not hard to keep watch.

Nothing happened and 30 Mins later the Chinook arrived; another 30 minutes and they had the damaged black hawk in a sling and were moving towards the base. Liz escorting all the way home.

Once there she had heard that Slinger had also had to oversee a downed Black Hawk, about the same situation. But it was a mechanical fault; so they sent a repair crew and they got back not long after Liz did. Liz was glad to hear that no one had died and only that black hawk had been downed; some others were a little shot up but were ok. A lot of Taliban had been erased; and almost certainly a fair number of their mid-level leadership for that area. And this would make them retreat deeper into Pakistan, bringing them closer to the area that the Pakistani army operated and perhaps within range. Also it would make it harder for them to move back and forth across the border. Overall a good outcome.

As expected the Pakistani government protested the invasion; the US blandly said they were in hot pursuit of Taliban running from their recent defeat and the border was hard to figure out at night. Both sides knowing what it was all about.

A meeting with the SF commander later that day bore this out.

"The sensible ones in the Pakistani Government understand; but they have to say things for internal consumption. It is becoming clear our recent offensive crippled them and this last one all but finished them off."

Liz saw the Aviation commander and he was happy how things were going everywhere.

"The brass has made the decision that the NG Brigade will redeploy to Kuwait and await some new officers; then take the Brigades place that is coming here in Iraq. It is much easier duty and they will have time to get their act together. They are looking better all around. The brigade coming is from the 1st Infantry; they will be here January 24 and will be operational Feb 15. So you have about 6 weeks left. And so far the new Super Apache has been all we could ask. This should shut up the critics."

Liz was cheered up by that; depressed when she got back to her office and saw the piled up paperwork. Deciding to be like Scarlet O'Hara and putting it off for tomorrow, she went to check in with what was going on with the NG. They had on mission that morning; but two that afternoon, supply coverage. She talked to the pilots and then the maintenance people; they were all much more confident and the results were clear. Operational status was at 91%.

Liz headed back to her office and decided to take a whack at her paperwork; she was glad that the SF had withdrawn their detail; it had been embarrassing.

She finally left at 1900, having gotten through a fair amount of it, all the most important anyhow.

The weather went bad late that night, rather unexpectedly, and when she got up she looked out her window and realized no one would be flying that day. So she headed over to operations.

"OK, let's have a bull session. Talk about anything and everything."

That went on for over an hour and then Liz told them to take the rest of the day off. She then visited the hangers and talked to the crews and had them talk as well. Then she went and visited the Kiowa's, Black Hawks and Chinooks. After each she gave them the rest of the day off. So by noon everyone was free. And Liz got a feel on how the Brigade was doing. They were doing pretty well considering. She talked to the other acting Battalion commanders and they seemed ok. She then headed up to talk to the Aviation Commander.

He listened to her and agreed that the Brigade was shaping up. And congratulated her on being a large part of the reason.

He said as much to the Theatre Commander after he gave the daily evening briefing that he had wanted since the whole mess had started.

"So it really was the bad leadership and lack of support?"

"I would say so sir. This is a good brigade if well led and well supported. They have improved tremendously just in the last two weeks. Especially the Apache Battalion."

"Obviously much of that due to Major Parker."

"Most of that due to Major Parker. She had the reputation going in; and she immediately assumed command; then showed them she would lead. That getting all the maintenance people in the brigade to help rebuild the Apache's made a big impression. Then the fact that she led by example. Then stepped back and let the Company Commanders lead. Which gave them confidence. It all fed on itself in a good way. Then having a bunch of successful missions in a row like that. Today she talked to just about everyone in the Brigade, asking for input and letting them all have a gripe session. I do not think there is any doubt that anyone in that brigade would now follow her lead anywhere."

The theatre commander repeated most of that to CENTCOM in their daily conversation. Who passed it up the ladder to SECDEF.

Continuing a recent tradition, the new president elect had decided to keep his predecessors SECDEF. So he had a briefing and with only a little over three weeks to go before he took office, he wanted to know what was going on there.

"Sir, the situation in Iraq has become mostly a garrison situation; we just hope the next elections stabilize things there so we can complete our pullout. In Afghanistan our recent offensive in the north has all but crippled the Taliban there. In the south they got hurt as well and are probably done for a while until the weather warms up and they can rebuild somewhat. We will take advantage and keep the pressure on."

"That NG Brigade, how are they doing under new leadership?"

"Very well sir. Their Apache Battalion has improved tremendously."

"And if rumors are to be believed, most of that is due to Major Parker."

"Yes sir; she turned that unit around a full 180."

"She is due to take her company back soon, correct?"

"They are due back mid February. She would have gone sooner but is being held until combat operations conclude for her composite Battalion."

"A wise decision. I assume a suitable commendation will be forthcoming?"

"We are debating that now sir. She did quite a lot."

"Yes she did. Make sure that it is commensurate."

"Yes sir."

The weather cleared up but things stayed fairly quiet; she had the NG Apache's up and practicing firing and maneuvering; working the junior officers more. Outside of a few supply missions the next week was quiet.

On the 10th, she was called in for another meeting by the SF commander and Aviation commander.

The SF commander started it off.

"We have good intel that the Taliban senior leadership wants action up here; they do not care about the losses. So they are sending some more leaders here to take over and start things up again. We have a predator keeping track of them pretty well. Now normally they would have been taken out by the Predator putting a Hellfire into their vehicle. But the plan is to let them get to wherever they are going in the Tribal Area, then wait for more of them to gather before hitting them. But this also means that we will have to move fast. Probably only a few hours warning. And we will want to use your whole company. Odds are this will happen in the next 2-3 days. So you will need to have your ships ready each night. Daytime is OK, we will not move then."

Liz went right to Sam "For the next few days both Platoons will need to be armed and ready with full combat and fuel loads for a possible night mission."

Meanwhile Liz kept on pushing the NG to do better and they responded; she no longer felt she needed to go along or even push hard in the meetings; she more and more let the Captains do most if not all of it; she found it hard sometimes to take that step back but felt it was necessary. She was also informed that since things had improved so much TDY officers would not be sent and they would remain as it was. While a compliment, she would have been happy to have less work.

Clearly the SF was waiting for the moment to strike and had put off anything else. So for a while Liz really had less to do; so she went to work on the paperwork she had been ignoring. Then every so often she would tour the NG Brigade sections to see what was going on. She had taken to try and do that when she could. Being Brigade XO was a pain most of the time, but it did allow her to make quick decisions. The Aviation Commander had pretty much left the operation of the Brigade in her hands.

On the afternoon of the second day of waiting, Liz got the word that the mission was a go. She immediately started to gather the pilots; letting Sam know that they would be flying that night.

"OK, people we have a night mission. The SF have been keeping track of new Taliban arrivals. The word is that the senior Taliban types have demanded action and have sent some new leadership in to get it started. They will be across the border, of course, and a fair distance at that. So we will be going with max fuel and combat load. And one more thing this time. We will be carrying Sidewinders as well. Almost certainly we will not need them, but just in case."

At 1800 Liz got the formal briefing from the Intel weenie. The SF commander and aviation commander were the only other ones in the room.

"We have substantiated information that several of the more senior level leadership is being sent. They have been very careful; they are mindful of satellite and Predators. But we have still been able to track two of them to the site. We expect more to show up this evening. The actual meeting will probably be tomorrow during the daytime with them scattering as soon as it gets dark. They have picked a place almost 250 miles from here."

The Aviation commander then took over.

"We will be using our latest long range ships which means of course the Super Apache's and everything else. We will refuel as soon as the flights reach Afghan territory again on the way back. If necessary; we will have all four available tankers there. So we would be able to quickly refuel all aircraft."

Liz decided to broach a sensitive subject.

"I have ordered my Company to Arm with Sidewinders. How likely is their use?"

The Aviation commander considered that.

"The Pakistan Air Force does very limited night work; so frankly the chances are very slim."

Liz noticed the weenie was not comfortable. She concentrated on him.

"Captain, if there is information we should know spill it now."

BOTH of the other officers then focused on him. The SF commander spoke first

"Captain, you better not leave out anything no matter what your orders are or I guarantee you YOU will fry."

He still looked uncertain. Liz decided he needed more motivation; she was NOT going to take her people into a trap.

"Captain, let me make myself VERY clear. If something happens and I even suspect we were not told everything, I will kill you. Is that clear?"

Her voice was very quiet but there was no doubt in this room she meant it.

"Sir, this is not even official."

"Does not matter- I want the entire story."

"We have had some indications that a couple of very high ISI officers are going to meet with those Taliban. But we do not know when."

Liz looked at him hard. "If those officers want to meet with Taliban officials, now would be the time. They will not stay in one place long."

The Aviation Commander slowly nodded. "The ISI do have some highly trained operators of helicopters that we have equipped, not US made, that can fly at night."

Liz was thinking very hard. "They would not be meeting with mid level Taliban; only high level."

The SF Commander nodded. "Higher level then we have identified at this meeting."

Something was at the back of her mind. Liz thought harder; what had she heard? Then she remembered.

"If those ISI officers are some of the high level ones who have been helping out the Taliban, it would not be surprising if they were BRINGING that High Taliban official to the meeting."

The Captain looked pole axed, clearly he had not considered that possibility.

The other two were nodding slowly. The SF Commander mused.

"That makes a lot of sense; and why we have heard nothing about a high Taliban official; this area has been pounded and their forces pretty much destroyed; the remaining fighters have to have very low morale. Showing support from the ISI and a visit from a high Taliban official would do a lot to change that."

They decided to act on that assumption; the mission would move into the area and wait for the Helicopter. The Tankers would move closer, into Pakistan, to respond. Originally the attack was to be made at midnight; but now it was thought to hold it back to around 0200; but to have the forces there, nearby, within the range of the village for a quick move. The SF commander made a call to the Pentagon to have a satellite dedicated for that area; they would have good warning of the helicopter. And they would refuel at the border going in.

10 Black Hawks; 6 assault; 2 reserve and 2 MEDEVAC would be going with Liz's company. They left at 2200 and got to the border at 2300; then it took an hour to refuel everyone; they then headed to the target. They reached it on time and waited in an area 20 miles away. It was decided to land and idle to save fuel.

It was definitely nerve racking, sitting on the ground in Pakistan over 200 miles from the base. 0100 came and nothing, then at 0130 came the signal; but it was not what was expected.

"Control to Neighborhood Watch; 3 targets at bearing 155 moving on course 245 at 100 knots. ETA 15 minutes."

The SF Major in command then ordered them to move.

"Neighborhood Watch to Bodyguard; moving in 60 mikes."

"Bodyguard Roger that 60 MIKES."

No one had expected the two other helicopters; Liz was betting they were some of the Armies Huey Cobras, they had some night capability. There to escort. Liz then signaled command.

"Bodyguard to Neighborhood Watch; will take out extras after primary done."

"Neighborhood Watch, Roger That."

The minutes went by; Liz had already decided if the satellite showed them leaving she would chase them down and take them out.

They then headed out; Liz quickly got the two hovering helicopters on her screen; if they were staying the meeting would not last long. She quickly designated Slinger to take out the Escorts while she would do the transport chopper.

They were going slowly when she noted that the two escorts had stopped hovering and were now circling; she had a hunch that meant the chopper was taking off.

"Bodyguard to backstop; prepare to take your shots."

"Backstop to Bodyguard, Roger that."

Then the third helicopter took off. And the three of them started to move off and Liz had to make a decision.

"Bodyguard to Backstop; support Neighborhood Watch; we will get it done."

"Backstop to Bodyguard, Roger."

"Octopus, you take right hand escort; Hannibal take left hand; I will take center."

"Roger" came a chorus.

Liz waited another few minutes; they were still closing on the enemy; now within the envelope of the Sidewinder; now was the time.

"Everyone get lock."

She then targeted the middle helicopter and got the tone indicating lock on.

"FIRE!"

They all fired at once; it was only seconds and then the three missiles found their targets. Three fireballs. That dropped straight down and hit the ground.

"Let's get back to business people."

The SF was in the village and Slinger and company were doing some plinking, but not much. 30 minutes went by and then the world came for extraction.

It went without incident and with no MEDEVAC called in any wounds had to be minor. Liz then checked her fuel gages and figured they would have no trouble making it back. Sitting on the ground for that hour and a half had made the difference. They motored fast to the border and then slowed to cruising speed. They landed at 0530 still dark.

The Debrief consisted of Liz and her pilots and the SF mission commander and two of his officers. He told the debriefers that they had not been able to see the fireballs so none of his people knew about it. They had gotten all the Taliban in the village and Slinger had pot shooted a few escaping.

The next day the SF commander told Liz that Pakistan had reported two high ranking ISI officials dead in a helicopter crash. And two AH-1 Hueys crashed in a separate accident while training. No survivors from any of them. Liz nodded quietly. She was not proud of taking out the Hueys; they had been just ordinary Joes doing their job. Right after landing the Crew Chiefs had removed the Sidewinders; making sure very few people noticed that had been carrying and hopefully no one noticed that three had been fired.

They had only a month left; the replacement Brigade would be arriving the next week; and they would be up and running by the 15th of Feb. B Company would be in the week before. So Liz and Company A would be gone; the crew chiefs and crews as well; the rest of the maintenance people would remain.

As regards the NG Brigade, it would be going to Kuwait for two months and would receive new Senior Officers, then after giving each side to get used to the other, they would then go to Iraq. At least that was the plan. Then it changed.

Liz groaned as she went to another meeting at the head shed (HQ). She wondered what it was this time.

Theatre Commander; Deputy; G4; SF Commander; Aviation Commander. And her. Of course as Acting Brigade XO she would be nominally considered to be representing the Brigade rather than the Aviation commander who was in charge of all units.

The Theatre Commander was quick to the point.

"Due to the firestorm over the scandal, the state's congressional delegation has weighed in. They think that since the Brigade has been performing well, it should remain and complete the next 7 months of its mission. As a matter of pride. I am sure that a lot of the brigade feel differently, not to mention their families. I do not have to tell you that with the situation politically, with both sides very close to each other in both House and Senate in numbers, that that state has a lot of clout. And all members of the delegation, no matter which party, agree on this. So unless something changes, they will be staying. The brigade that was going to come here will go to Iraq as intended. Needless to say this messes them up pretty good. "

Liz sat there thinking; this probably meant she would stay as well. Which really hurt. Instead of one month away from going home now she would be 7 months away. And it would be a ground command as well; no flying. Well not until her company came back which would be just supposedly as she was going home; so now it meant 10 months. She looked up. The General had finished and was getting up to leave for another meeting. His Deputy stayed. The Aviation Commander looked at Liz.

"Contrary to what you are thinking, Major, you are not going to carry the can. Though I have no doubt the NG Apache Battalion would much rather you stayed in command a regular Apache Battalion commander from another unit will be brought in to take over. The upper echelon turnover will happen before you leave; but you will leave on the 15th as scheduled."

Liz smiled brightly and it seemed the whole room lit up.

"You are not going to get an argument from me."

"The captain you were training before you left, Captain Manson, has gotten his promotion to Major and will be coming to take your place as overall commander of the Super Apache's on base. He will stay until you return later on with A company again; if that is how it is going to happen; depending on how fast the other Battalion mans up."

Liz left the meeting feeling better in one respect; but less in another. The NG Brigade had been looking forward to getting out; however they would be going back to the states 5 months sooner than they would otherwise. The Aviation commander would call all the officers together in a meeting in the next hour to let them know. Liz decided to make herself scarce.


	9. Chapter 9

Liz made sure she got back to her office some time after the announcement. As expected the reactions were mixed. Some were put out but others recognized they would go home as originally scheduled and would not have the stigma of failing a deployment. So she thought things were going to be OK. Not too long later the three captains of the companies asked to see her and she brought them into her office.

"It is your nickel, guys."

Captain Vinceenes started.

"Some of the guys think otherwise, sir, but I for one would be glad to finish my deployment and get home in 7 months instead of 12. Afghanistan is hotter than Iraq, no question, but frankly for us the risks are minimal. Now the Black Hawk guys will probably see it differently." The other two nodded.

"Glad you feel that way. And I think it is the right way to look at it. When the General gave us the news, I at first thought I would not only have to stay through your deployment, but possibly another if my company came back again in 6 months. I was looking at another 10 months here. So frankly I am glad to go home."

Captain Vinceenes nodded. "Sir, I think I can speak for all of us in that we would much rather you stayed as our commanding officer. You have taught us a lot and you gave us a chance to prove ourselves. A lot of others would not have. You backed off in the last few weeks letting us fully command; showing you respected us. That means a great deal to me personally, sir."

Captain Adams agreed. "I was very close to calling it quits, Sir. But now I will not. And that is because of you. I wish you were staying but you earned going back having to put up with all of that mess to get us back to being a real Unit instead of a bunch of failures in uniform."

Captain Lawson echoed that. "Sir, I learned more in the last 2 months from you about flying then I learned in the last 3 years. I am a much better pilot and officer due to your teaching and example. I was ashamed to be a member of this unit even before the scandal; now I am not."

Liz blushed slightly but smiled brightly.

"Thank you all very much. I can assure you that if you keep up your present performance, you will continue to do very well. On a side not, I can also assure you and the other pilots that my evaluations of you will be good to very good. Not one pilot will receive a bad grade, as long as they do not screw up the last month I am in command."

Captain Vinceenes smiled broadly.

"If I may tell the rest of them that, it will ease a lot of them as regards staying. Of course the new commander will also give us evaluations at the end of the deployment, but it is yours that will carry more weight in the end. No one is going to take anyone else's word on how good a pilot one is over yours."

Liz blushed harder. "Sometimes my reputation does come in handy."

Liz was glad to see that the Apache Battalion was ok with things. Then she visited the others and they were not as happy, but she saw signs that they would be ok. They all agreed that losing her was the worst part of the deal.

The Taliban that was left in the area kept a very low profile; but farther south the situation in Northern Helmand Province and Northern Kandahar Province had heated up. A sustained campaign at the border had pushed a number of surviving Taliban up north. Kandahar City had improved but it was still a problem. The SF had kept up a continuing fight with them for over two years; they had made things better but it was a tough process. Which necessitated another meeting.

Liz came in the Aviation commander and the SF commander to find the Theatre Commander, His Deputy, and the UK senior officer in the country.

The Theatre Commander got right to the point.

"For the foreseeable future, this area is secured. The Taliban have been shattered. So we need to move the forces where they are needed. That means Kandahar, and Helmand Province. We want to move all the Apache's and most of the Black Hawks to Bastion. We will leave the Kiowas and two companies of the Black Hawks. That and the SF aircraft will be sufficient. We move in two days. There is an opportunity here to use available air power to take it to the Taliban."

The Aviation commander then took over.

"I am also delaying the redeployment of your company, Major Parker. The 160th SOAR has agreed to deploy your Company B with its aircraft; since the final company of your Battalion has become operational in the last week, it will stay and see to the standup of Company A of the 2nd Battalion. Two Companies will be kept operational in theatre. But the delay will only be an extra month. When you Leave C Company will take your place. That way there will be one veteran company in place while a new company comes in."

Liz left the meeting somewhat put out; she made it a point to call the 160th SOAR commander. She had been told none of this and she WAS the Battalion Commander.

He explained to her that the decision caught him by surprise as well. He had been told the day before. He thought that it happened because of C Company becoming operational earlier than expected. The choppers for A company, 6th Battalion, as it was technically known, had finished arriving this week. B company would be arriving with its choppers by air in several C-17's, next week. B Company had been training both C and A companies in their choppers; then in theirs and C companies. So they were ready. Sam would not arrive until just before Liz left so as to not step on her toes. B Company would go straight to Bastion. B would do 4 months; as they all would. With 6 companies they could keep 2 on and 4 off; deploy for 4 months out of 12.

Liz did not like the decisions forced on them from above, but bowed to the inevitable and headed to tell her people. She went to operations and found most of them waiting; word had spread something was up.

"OK, people change 3. We will move to FOB Bastion in 2 days. I got extended one month and they are bringing in my second company as well. They will be there in 2 days as well, straight from the states. So that makes 5 Companies of Apache's. Most of the Black Hawks are coming with us. The idea is to take it to the Taliban there like we did here. So Start PACKING NOW."

It was hectic but they did get there in two days; luckily Bastion had built some real hangers and so they were able to keep the Apache's in their bubbles, which they brought with them. The Brits came and looked at them as did the Dutch, and began to do the same.

Captain "Donut" Anderson had just gotten his promotion and was commander of Company B. He was a somewhat happy go lucky type and got along with Liz just fine; B Company seemed to be ready to rock; but Liz had them in and put them through the mill to be sure. Their answers were pretty good; and Liz had been sending mission reports back to the 160th SOAR and they had been reading them. Two days after the move they had a meeting with the British Commander of Bastion, with the RAF commander, SAS commander and the ground pounder comanders. They were of course different than the ones that had been there when Liz had been; but were cut of the same cloth. The two main ground units were 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland; and 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment; and also the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment. To Liz, it was simplified to the 5th Scots, 1st Irish, and the 2nd Para's. The 4th Regiment, Army Air Corp, Apache's were also present; supposedly 16 of them. If everyone was operational that would make a total of 56 Apache's. Which was where the real purpose of the meeting was.

The British Commander was straightforward.

"The Taliban have been battered to impotence in the East; and just about everywhere else in the country is on the run or hiding. This area is the last one where they are still fighting. If we can stamp on them NOW, that will be a huge blow they might never recover from; and even if they do it buys the Coalition time to strengthen the Afghan government and security forces. We have an unprecedented amount of aviation firepower at the ground support level; we need to take advantage of that. Since it is a mixed force, the RAF commander will exercise overall command of all forces. The main idea it to hit them is as many places as possible in as short a time as possible. To break them here."

He went on to sketch out the overall mission. The US Marines and their forces would be taking care of the area to the west; the UK forces would take care of everything North and South; east was mostly pacified. In an area about 200 miles north to south and 50 miles east to west, was concentrated the areas of contention. Targets were shown on a large map; there were over 50. Each represented a village or small town that had a significant Taliban presence. The Goal was to hit all of them in one month; more than once if necessary. They would all be air assaults so as to give the Taliban as little warning as possible. The reinforced Black Hawk and Apache forces would be used to the utmost.

He finished with this:

"It is not likely we will have an opportunity like this again. When the forces and situation are all concentrated in a relatively small area. The aviation situation will be clarified in the meeting following this. The Ground and Para commanders will be meeting to decide the priority of targets. Then the two groups will meet to finalize the campaign plan."

So they split off into two groups with the Commander leaving.

Liz , the RAF commander and the 4th Regiment commander in one and the SAS and the ground units in the other.

The RAF Commander spoke first.

"Major Parker, since you were designated the Brigade XO and operational commander, the overall US helicopter command coordination is up to you. Your Apache's and Black Hawks will form the majority of the helicopter assets. I realize that it is a lot for one person, even one with your record. I would recommend that the Major in command of the Black Hawks get together with our Major Alexander who commands our transport assets and they see if they can work things out together."

Liz nodded. "I have no problem with that; I will be busy enough as it is. Major Harkness is a good man and he should be able to get along with your Major Alexander. If he doesn't, I will kick him out and let Major Alexander take control."

The RAF Commander blinked at that. "Well, that is certainly quite fair."

He then moved on.

"I mean no slight to Major Wilkinson here, but I believe that overall command and coordination of the Apache's should be yours."

Clearly this had been discussed before as the Major quickly assented.

"This is my first tour in Afghanistan as a commander. Major Parker's record is very impressive. And hers will be the majority of the Apache's here. Command of them clearly belongs in one person, the most qualified person here."

"Thank you, Major Wilkinson. I will only be here for 2 months, before I leave. At that time I will recommend that you take over coordination as long as the Apache's are concentrated here. We need continuity if this is to work."

The RAF Commander was very satisfied with this arrangement and quickly ended the meeting to see if the ground pounders had managed to figure anything out.

Needless to say no real agreement had come; the sides had basically been the Para's and SAS vs the Ground Regiments. They took time out and Liz got ahold of Major Harkness and had him show up while the RAF Commander had gotten his Major Alexander to come as well. Liz took a moment to talk alone to the RAF Commander.

"Has the tension between the RAF and the SAS gotten any better?"

Ruefully he shook his head. "Not much; they are still like dogs who do not like each other. It is a pain."

Liz thought for a moment; then looked at him.

"As much as possible let's put them in our Black Hawks. They are used to SF and the like so they probably will get along with them better without the history those two have with each other."

"Agreed."

Majors Harkness and Alexander arrived and were informed of the arrangement and seemed to be willing to get along. Liz looked at the two groups still not agreeing and sighed. She looked at the RAF Commander.

"I can see why the Base Commander made himself scarce."

"Quite."

Deciding to see if she could break the deadlock she walked up to the 4 commanders.

"Gentlemen, let us leave who gets what up to chance. We have the targets; let us put the names of all 50 in a hat and have each draw; one after the other; until all the targets are drawn."

They looked startled, then thoughtful, and then one by one agreed.

Liz went to the board where very conveniently all targets were identified with a four digit character and number and took them off; the RAF Commander had his hat ready and she put them in the hat. She then looked at the four.

"Draw in order of who has been here the longest at Bastion."

In only 10 minutes it was done. Liz looked at the commander. "Are there any really high priority targets or are they all pretty much similar?"

"Intelligence has not really ranked them in any way that matters; and how important they are could shift over time."

"OK. So each commander looks at his list and decides the priority on his own. Then we look at each one and decide how much force will be needed. And schedule it accordingly; doing as many each day as we can. And this way there will be no pattern that the Taliban or anyone else will be able to figure out. Of course if new intel comes in making one or another target suddenly important we can adjust."

The RAF Commander looked at the four. "Any objections?" There were none.

"Very well; then I would say the four of you need to get with your staffs and figure out what you want done and when. Then once you do we will have a big meeting with all concerned parties and plan the campaign in detail."

Liz decided she wanted to talk to Major Wilkinson more about his two squadrons, and they went off to eat lunch at the Main Mess hall.

"So how long have you been in command?"

"One month before they deployed, their commander was in an automobile accident; he will be laid up for several more months. I was just about to take over the same command in 3 Regiment; so they pulled me here."

"And the unit has been here how long?"

"2 months."

"How are they doing?"

"656 Squadron is quite good; 664 not quite as good."

"What is the problem?"

"Not sure; just possibly some substandard pilots. Their Squadron Commander, Major Williston, believes that do to their green situation, they will get better. But so far I have not seen it."

"656 is very good, you said?"

"Yes. Their commander, Major Hyde-White, has them working very well. In the cases of the two squadrons here, neither commander is flying. Too much administrative detail."

"I can sympathize; it is a constant battle to wade through it; though I am lucky in one respect that I am not formally in command so a lot of the paperwork tends to get lost somewhere."

He grinned. "Your waste can must fill rapidly."

"ya. Two or three times a day."

"One thing everyone who has flown an Apache has wondered is just how much of a difference between the Super Apache and the Longbow."

"Wow. Where to begin? First the airframe is all titanium; so that took a huge amount of weight off. The engines are new; 15% more power than the old ones; which makes them about 10% more powerful than even yours. There are other things that have been done to cut weight, so that allows us to carry a lot more. The new wings; well you have seen them. We can carry four auxiliary tanks that are more aerodynamic while still having a full combat load with the new weapons pods. They are fully articulated with the stick; and can be adjusted to give us advantageous firing angles. The Avionics are like something out of Star Wars; they are that advanced. The Fenestron tail really helps cut down on that weight and air drag. Its electric so it does not bleed off power from the engines. We can air refuel; I could go on but you get the point."

He looked dazed. "Good lord. We had all heard things but no one really knew; until you actually deployed no one had an idea at all about the new one. It was a very well-kept secret."

"It was a Black Project; like the initial stealth bomber; like the SR 71 before it. And since it still is technically an AH-64 Apache they were able to bury it as just a Special Ops version of the Apache; like the Pave Low and some others have been. So yeah it did come as a shock when they arrived at Campbell. But once again most just thought it was a special ops version with some changes like a different tail and different avionics. Only those that get a close up look at one realizes just how advanced it is. And till you actually fly it you would not realize what it can do."

"I think every current and former Apache pilot in the world wants to."

The media had been slow to realize that the new Apache was so advanced; and really had few details. But they had been able to get some good pictures of them at Kandahar, and by digging and sniffing around had been able to get an idea.

Finally, a CNN reporter decided he had enough to talk about it on air.

"Tonight's report from Afghanistan focuses on the new so called Super Apache flown by the 160th SOAR, the Army's special operations aviation Regiment. The first operational company, A company of the 5th Battalion, started operations in Kandahar in November. This squadron, commanded by the famous Major Elizabeth Parker, has as expected distinguished itself. The Army refuses to comment on Special Operations, so they only admit that it is an advanced special Operations version of the AH-64, though experts after having viewed the best photographs available, say it is more than that. The cost is rumored to be twice that of an AH-64D Longbow, the current version fielded by the US Army regular units. The experts are unanimous in saying that it is more than an improved version; several flat out state it is virtually a brand new helicopter. Just how much better is in question. But at the very least they believe it flies faster farther and higher with more weapons than the previous version. Other than that, no one knows as of yet. Many will be interested to see just how good they are."

Liz called a meeting of the NG Apache's and both Companies of her battalion. They did it in the hanger as it was about the biggest building they could find that they could secure. All pilots, copilots and crew chiefs, which came to 120 personnel.

"OK. We will start missions tomorrow. At this time it will probably be strictly day operations. However depending on how things look, I might have one of the platoons from A or B company stay ready for night response; we will see. But I can tell you this; it is a virtual certainty that we will be doing multiple missions a day. Might even try and do three a day. We are going to launch a campaign to take the Taliban down hard here; the last place in Afghanistan where they are still openly fighting. Instead of a debrief after every mission, we might only do one a day after all the missions are over. We will have to be flexible people."

The 4 ground units had been furiously working to get their proposals ready; and by 1600 that afternoon were ready. So another big meeting was held.

Liz brought the three majors with her to this meeting. It had been pretty well established that she would speak for the Aviation side of things at this meeting.

It was decided that the first day they would just do 4 missions; all in the morning; and then that afternoon assess the situation. Then the following day go for more. Liz had looked at the locations and none were more than 125 miles from Bastion; so she would not have to use too many auxiliary fuel tanks. Probably just two. She was looking at using her Apache's for the longest range missions or the ones that looked the hardest. After some more talk with Major Willkinson, she was of the mind to have the NG Apache's work mostly with the Scots and Irish; while she and her people took the SAS; and let Major Willkinson and his Apache's deal with the Para's. Her people would also tackle night missions that the SAS might be thinking about; and any night responses. After a quick conversation with him that indicated he was OK with it; she put forth that when the mission allotment of Apache's were brought up.

"The two largest units are the Irish and Scots; so I think the NG Apache's should work with them. Major Wilkinson indicates he can handle what the Para's want to do; So the 160th Apache's will work with the SAS; and we will also take any night missions or responses that come up; we do have the best equipment to work at night. Are there any objections to that?" No one seemed to have a problem with the decision, so they moved on. The first 4 missions would go out; Liz decided that her company would go with the SAS and B company would be that night's response force. They would switch off each night for that duty. It was also understood that Major Wilkinson's Apache's would probably be the one group that would have more assets then needed; while the NG might be stretched; so if that was the case then unless it was a night mission he would take over for which ever mission the 160th might do if they were fully engaged and the relieved platoon would reinforce the NG. As regards transport; it was agreed that the NG Black Hawks would support the Scots and Irish; and the SAS. The rest of the rather thin British transport force would take care of the Para's; and any resupply needed.

The first missions of both the Irish and the Scots were not far off but fairly large operations; the three captains for the NG Apache's agreed to split their forces down the middle and give half to each; with one captain playing second fiddle. So that would send 12 Apache's with each force. The Para's operation would also be bigger than the SAS operation so one squadron would go with them and the other would handle any responses that day; leaving B company to take care of any night responses. Liz was looking to try and give each company or squadron at least one light day every three or four days if possible; it would give the crew rest and allow the maintenance people to catch up.

Liz's company was the first to go since the SAS wanted to make a dawn assault. They hit their target just before first light and the SAS were into the village like locusts. Liz had not seen any shooting until they got halfway in; total surprise. It turned into an easy mission with no SAS casualties. They did take a prisoner; they apparently got a mid-level Taliban leader. When Liz got back the other missions were just taking off; all were due to hit about 1000. So she brought her people in for a quick debrief.

The first set of missions went off with no serious casualties and no damage to any choppers. So far so good. The SAS wanted to do another mission that afternoon and Liz agreed; B company wanted to go so they went out at 1400 to do a quick one at one of the smaller villages; it turned out to be a bust as it was deserted except for a few civilians who just huddled down. Liz then agreed to make A company that nights response force. As it turned out they got a good nights sleep. The next morning it was decided to go for a maximum effort and both morning and afternoon missions were scheduled; and since none of that days missions were all that big, they split the Apache's virtually down the middle so that no one had to fly two missions that day.

B Company took the mornings SAS mission; A company the afternoons and B company would be the response force. The morning missions went well; but the afternoon missions were tougher. The SAS found a hornets nest and Liz found herself right down there with them.

It was a more isolated village than the others; and was thought to possibly be an arms center. And it thus turned out to be. Liz had pushed to let her Apache's come in as diversions and to draw fire and soften them up, and it was agreed. And there was a fair amount to do.

She brought the whole company down low and right to the village while the SAS hit them from the rear; the Taliban had some 12.7's set up and they got taken out; a couple of real brave (or stupid ones) stood up to try their luck with RPG's and got blasted to bits. Liz kept them at about 500 feet which would make any shots from a RPG unlikely to have the power to reach them. She could hear a few plinks as AK bullets hit; they were meaningless. Behind her Slinger was following with 2nd platoon; cleaning up any they missed. The SAS was moving quickly through the village, having the Taliban between two jaws of a vise, ensured that the battle did not last long. 20 minutes after it began, it was over.

No apparent serious wounds for the SAS made it a good mission, Liz thought on the way back.

The days tally was no one killed, no helicopters of any kind with any serious damage, and all 8 targets hit. A very good day, Liz thought. They had enough time to do a good debrief from all commanders and it was agreed that tomorrow they would keep up the pace. Once again it was a quiet night and the SAS wanted another dawn raid the next morning so Liz made sure her A company people hit their tents early.

The next SAS mission was a long range one, or somewhat, being just about 130 miles away. They took off at 0500 and hit it at just after 0600; just like before Liz brought hers in low and got the Taliban looking one way while the SAS took them from the rear. They did not have anything other than a few RPG's which while they did get a couple off, were totally unable to reach the Apaches hovering at 500 feet and at least 1000 feet from them. None of them lived long enough to fire a second one. And they had none to fire at the SAS as they swept through the village in only 15 minutes. No casualties at all. They made it back to the Base by 0800. Liz got a chance to speak to the NG captains – this time only two of the companies would be going while the third rested. Things seemed to be going well there; they seemed to have a good rapport with the Scots and the Irish.

Intel had theorized that the Taliban, once it became clear a full campaign was ongoing, would try and strike back at some of the patrol camps. So Major Wilkinson had one of his squadrons hold back that day while the other took the mission; one stayed and one went morning and afternoon.

IT was on the fourth day that the Taliban began to try and respond; and Major Wilkinson had the 664 sent out to respond to calls for support. Four separate bases reported attacks; so flights of 2 went to each. B company had gone out that morning; A company staying. Liz listened in the operations building as it was clear the Taliban was trying but not doing very well. 664 seemed to be up to the job.

That afternoon the SAS were a little frustrated as they hit an empty target again. When they got back Liz found Major Wilkinson waiting for her. He took her into his office and closed the door.

"The Irish have a Patrol base about 40 miles out that was attacked this morning; a flight from 664 responded and reported there was very little for them to do. But the commander of the Irish just talked to me; a report from the Patrol Base painted a very different picture; they stood off and threw a few 30MM rds and did very little else. The pilots claimed there were civilians there and the Patrol Base says otherwise. I had a meeting with the 664 Commander and he backs up his people. But the problem is that he was not there and the Patrol Base report is very specific."

"What do you want me to do?"

"At the moment there is nothing you can do; but I wanted to warn you that this will probably escalate. Frankly, my hunch is that we have some duds in that squadron; the flight that went today has had a couple of times where it was alleged they used the civilians as an excuse to do nothing. I think you should quietly warn your pilots to keep their eyes and ears open. I need more than I have right now to push this."

Liz sighed; this could get really ugly. "OK, I will let them know. Frankly if it continues and there is nothing you can really do, we can probably switch them out with some of my people or the NG guys. Have 664 do more of the mission support where since it is done by the Squadron or Company, a couple of duds do not make much difference."

"That has occurred to me; and if any more of this happens I will go along with making sure that 664 does not do any close response missions."

Liz decided to just bring in the pilots only on this; she held a meeting that evening at the hanger.

"OK, people I want this to be very clear. What I say here goes no farther than the people right here. You do NOT tell your copilots or anyone else. I think probably everyone has heard stories about 664 squadron; that some of them are not exactly motivated. Well I want to know about anything you see or hear. But you tell me and no one else. Are we understood?"

This very serious and very hard Liz was a rare one; but they all knew better than to question her. So they just nodded.

The next day they hit the halfway point on their missions and just over; in 5 days they had hit 28 of the targets. That night the weather got bad and the word came out there would be no flying for the next day; but that it would be clear the day after. So on the 6th day everyone rested and caught up on paperwork. Liz met with each company one at a time for a review and a gripe session if necessary.

B Company had hit the ground running and Liz was glad to see they were doing well. These missions were not very difficult, really, and thus they were being eased into things.

The NG companies were doing very well; they had improved tremendously over the last two months. The A models had some limitations that nothing could be done about, and they were old, but since the maintenance people had gotten the parts they needed, operational status was still over 90%. Very good. They also seemed to get along very well with the Scots and Irish, and that was good, too.

She would have been embarrassed to have heard some of the things discussed, though; when the units had mixed at some times that they had been off duty.

Captain Vinceenes had been talking with a company commander and his LTs after getting back from a mission.

"All we heard is what the reporters said; what really happened?"

"Every single one of our Battalion commanders and all but two of the XO's were relieved; and the Brigade commander and his XO as well. They have not yet figured out just which ones were in on the thefts; I think only a few actually; the Brigade CO and XO, the Brigade Maintenance Chief and his XO for certain and maybe a couple of others. The rest were buddies and drop cases that were brought in to provide them with cover. Now as regards at home, there were more. The State Commander, his XO, and a good part of his staff. The lack of spare parts hurt us real bad; and the lousy Battalion commanders were another huge factor; and the games they played with buddies and favorites. That sure ended fast when Major Parker took over. Technically she was supposedly just the acting brigade XO, but for all intents and purposes she rebuilt and ran the brigade. She sure fixed things with the Apache's. Of course this wasn't the first time she has had to fix busted units. She sure is good at it. As a pilot I have not seen any better; and as an officer the same. She will back you if you are in the right; and she backs down from nobody. Her call sign of Doberman is dead on. Screw with her and she will tear your throat out."

The next day the pace picked up again. 6 targets were hit; the Irish and Scots hit two targets each and the SAS and Para's one. And once again no one badly wounded and minor damage to any choppers at best. The next day Liz had another dawn mission with the SAS and they hit a somewhat bigger target; and wanted to hit it as quietly as possible so for once they wanted her to hold back; then appear once they were engaged. Liz found it hard hanging back; but she managed to do as requested. She brought the Apache's in from the two sides that the SAS had not come in from and in that respect surprised the Taliban some. The typically aggressive SAS tactics had the Taliban quickly retreating; and moving targets are easy to find. So the Apache's were doing some serious plinking. The SAS got out with only two moderately wounded men and two slightly wounded men; they did deign to call in the MEDEVAC. No choppers were damaged.

They got back at 0900 and found the others about to leave. Liz had a quick conversation with Major Wilkinson; he was because of a couple of maintenance issues having to use 656 for the escort duties with the Para's that day; 664, down to 4 serviceable ships due to some bad spare parts, would need most of the morning to get back up to full strength. Liz told him she would have her crew chiefs rearm immediately. Liz went to her office and started on some paperwork; and got a lot of it done before eating lunch at noon. She went by the Brits and they were still working on the 4 Apache's. Probably would not get them done until late in the day. A company had night duty that day anyway. They had been very lucky; only once had they gone out at night and that had been B company; and it had not been a hard mission.

At 1400 she heard some commotion and went out of her office; she could see some of the men of 664 scrambling. Something about that just looked off, she was not sure what it was, maybe that they looked disorganized. She watched at their 4 serviceable Apache's took off to support two Patrol Bases that were under attack. She went to control and found Wilkinson looking worried. She went up to him.

"How bad?"

"Looks like the Taliban are serious; I think this is something they think they have to do; we have really been tearing them apart the last week."

Liz nodded slowly. "What if I take up my company just in case?"

He looked relieved and she headed off to get her people in gear. It took half an hour to get them all and another 15 minutes to get into the air. She sent Slinger off to one and she took the other; they were both about 50 miles out. All the other missions had arrived back not long before. As they headed out Liz began to get a bad feeling; she let the rest of them know.

"Doberman to 1st platoon; Guys I am getting a bad feeling; let's move; balls to the wall!"

"Roger that" came the chorus. They by now knew to take her hunches very seriously.

Moving at full speed, they were at the area in 15 minutes.

Liz changed her frequency to the one the British Apache's used.

"664, this is Hell Dog Lead. What is your situation?"

"664 to Hell Dog Lead, situation is confused; not able to understand the ground."

Liz cursed quietly. There had been some problems with the radios some of the units had. One other advanced feature of the Super Apache was a very good radio that could be fine-tuned to a chosen frequency. Liz had had the one used by the local ground units programed into her ship; she now turned it to that frequency. It was the Scots on the ground she called.

"Hell Dog Lead to Patrol base Jonas; what is your situation?"

"Patrol Base Jonas to Hell Dog; we need assistance; 664 is not responding. We have a critical Whiskey India Alpha. Need cover and MEDEVAC."

"ROGER THAT, Patrol Base Jonas."

Liz immediately called the base; the bad news was that it would be at least 15 minutes for a MEDEVAC to take off and that meant about 40-50 minutes for them to get there.

Liz just knew that was too long. "Patrol Base Jonas, where are you now?"

"Patrol Base Jonas, one klick bearing 325 from base in a small farm; we are surrounded."

"Roger, We are on our way."

Liz took them to the point and recognized the farm; Taliban were all around it for certain.

"Doberman to Hannibal; take the east while we take the west. Lay down some serious fire."

"Roger That."

Liz took Octopus and they began to let go of 2.75 rockets and saturated the area about 100 meters from the farm house. After they fired Liz contacted them.

"Hell Dog Lead to Patrol Base Jonas, what is your situation?"

"Patrol Base Jonas to Hell Dog Lead; that took care of most of them. What about MEDEVAC?"

"40 MIKES Patrol Base Jonas."

"Hell Dog Lead, he does not have that much time."

Liz thought furiously. This was crazy but…

"Doug, would you like to spend a little time on the ground watching how they do it?"

"Liz you are nuts. But I am game."

"When I land get in there and tell them I can take the man and a medic if they are squished in the front seat."

"Doberman to everyone; I am going to land and drop off Doug; then pick up the wounded man and a medic and take him in. Hannibal you stick around and keep an eye on things."

"Roger that, Doberman"

Liz took her Apache right to the house, only about 50 feet away and landed fast and hard. Doug was out of the bird in a flash running to the house.

Two heavily armed figures met him at the door.

"My pilot can take a medic and the wounded in her front seat while I say behind. Will this work?"

"Christ!" and they ran into the house with Doug on their heels. He was glad to see that the wounded man was not very big and neither was the wounded man. They had him resting on a door they had taken off the hinges.

"This crazy yank wants to take you and Jones in the front seat of the Apache!"

"He will never live if we have to wait for the MEDEVAC. Let's go!"

Doug picked up one end of the door and one of the other men tossed his rifle to another and picked up the other and they headed out.

The other three Apaches were slowly circling the farmhouse at about 200 feet up; making lots of noise.

It took less than a minute to get the wounded man in the front seat; the Medic scrunched in beside him, holding up a plasma bag. They could not be strapped in so Doug just closed the hatch and signaled Liz.

Liz took off and oriented her Apache for maximum lift and speed; Doug had put his helmet on the medic so he could talk to Liz.

"My name is Alex Harris; Jones here is hit in the stomach; he is bleeding badly. How long to the base?"

"Call me Liz, hang on because I am going to floor it! Probably 15 minutes."

"That might be fast enough."

Liz was redlining the Apache, she had her wide open.

"I am going to patch you through to the hospital; give me a minute."

"Hell Dog Lead to Base; have a wounded Scot and his medic; need to talk to the hospital ASAP"

"Base to Hell Dog Lead; 5 MIKES."

And indeed 5 minutes later

"This is Doctor Smythe; come in Hell Dog Lead."

"OK, Alex, go ahead."

"Dr Smythe, I have a 21 year old man; hit in the left lower quadrant; giving plasma; estimate loss at 30%. It is a through and through. Last BP was 76 over 55 10 minutes ago, pulse 86, respiration 15 and shallow, cyanotic."

"Got that. Keep squeezing he plasma bag. What is your time to get here?"

"Dr Smythe, this is the pilot. We will be at your front door in 10 minutes; but stay inside I am coming in very hot and there will be a lot of dust flying."

"We will be waiting."

True to her word Liz got there in 10 minutes; she came in at a high angle; dumping speed and blowing dust like nobody's business as she sat the Apache down not 50 feet from the door. Not exactly where MEDEVACS were supposed to land but time was critical and every second counted.

The dust had barely cleared as Liz set her down. She was out in a flash, she just cut the engines, and she had the hatch open before they got out the door. But by the time she had helped the medic get out, holding the plasma bag, there were there. They had him out in 2 seconds and on the gurney going in.

Modern high tech Helicopter engines do not like sudden shut downs; Liz knew this so she was very careful starting them back up. It took her almost 10 minutes then she was back in the air and shooting back to pick up her copilot.

Liz did not push as hard going back so it took almost 25 minutes to get there; she found the rest of her platoon still circling.

"Doberman to Hannibal, what is the situation?"

"Hannibal to Doberman; very quiet. We have checked the perimeter."

"Roger that."

"Hell Dog Lead to Patrol Base Jonas. How are things there?"

"Patrol Base Jonas to Hell Dog Lead, you can have him back. We don't want him."

"I guess I have to take him then; will be down in 5 mikes."

And then she picked her Copilot back up.

He gave her the situation.

"This was a 20 man patrol the Taliban tried to take out. They were real lucky to have only one man wounded. They are moving back towards their base; will take about half an hour if we give them cover."

"We can do that."

"Hell Dog Lead to Patrol Base Jonas; head for home we will cover you all the way."

"Patrol Base Jonas to Hell Dog Lead, we are grateful and heading out now."

As they got out of the farm and to the road, Liz and the rest of her Platoon slowly circled them; diving down to any place that looked suspicious and pulling up; another covering. They darted and moved unexpectedly. Liz had gone over this with all of them on how to keep anyone watching hiding and too scared to do anything.

The Lt leading the patrol watched as the Apache's dove and swirled and made threatening moves all around them. He turned to his sergeant.

"Those yanks do know how to put on a show."

"Yes Sir. Don't think anyone will be bothering with us."

And 45 minutes later Liz saw them pull into their base; a small village abandoned by its people.

"Hell Dog Lead to Patrol base Jonas, have a nice day."

"Patrol Base Jonas to Hell Dog Lead, just leave. You make too much noise. We want to get some sleep."

"Roger that, Hell Dog Lead out."

Liz on the way back asked Hannibal if they had seen any trace of the 664, and was told not a bit. Liz stewed on that all the way back. Doug was definite.

"They think that 664 bunch are not worth much. They do not buy into the crap about not being able to read them."

"I agree. But the fact is that the ground has had radio problems; and the Brit Apache's do not have this shiny radio that can do so many tricks. But they certainly came in clear."

"And they could hear you clear as well. Five by Five."

They got back to the base just before dark. Major Wilkinson was waiting for her as was the RAF Commander. They pulled her into the Major's office. The RAF commander was blunt.

"You had no trouble reading the ground radio."

"No sir but then this radio is top of the line."

"I am getting one of their models and we are going to check out the radio on that Apache. If it comes in clear that Pilot is getting relieved now."

Liz nodded and watched them stride off. She sighed and went to the operations room. The rest of her company was there.

"No word yet from the hospital."

Liz nodded. "Slinger, how was your end?"

"They needed some help but were working pretty good. Those two seem to be fine."

Liz nodded. "The two on my end – if that radio checks out then it is very bad."

Liz decided to head over to the hospital. She got in and found the medic in the waiting room.

"Any word?"

"Nothing so far, Major."

Liz nodded and sat down beside him. She took a deep breath and looking around, seeing nothing

"The RAF commander is checking out that Apache's radio right now, they claim they could not read you."

The medic was quiet for a moment. "My sweet ass they couldn't. They didn't want to. This is not the first time that pair has pulled this. Most of that squadron are good cobbers; but there are a few that are right cowards."

He looked at Liz. "We heard you loud and clear. And you heard us the same."

"Well, they have a pretty fancy radio on my model. And you guys have had radio problems."

"At a distance, not close up."

At that point the door opened and a tired looking doctor came out; Liz and Alex stood up and went to him.

"It was very close; another 10, maybe 15 minutes and we would have lost him. He is still in very serious condition but the bleeding has been stopped and his blood pressure is steady. All vital signs are slowly rising. He should make it."

Liz sat down slowly and relaxed. Just relaxed for a while. The medic sat down and also just relaxed. Finally Liz got up.

"Going to head over to operations and give that Patrol Base the good news."

The medic nodded. "I need to find a bunk; then arrange transport back tomorrow."

"We will get you back tomorrow, don't worry about it. As far as a bunk is concerned that should be no problem either. Come on."

Liz walked into the radio room and told the controller to contact Patrol Base Jonas and tell them their wounded soldier would make it. Then she took the medic to their tent area and told one of the ground crew to take care of the medic; then headed to her office. On the way there she ran into Major Wilkinson. He looked grim.

"That trooper will make it" Liz said to him. That seemed to cheer him up some.

"Well that is the first bit of good news I have had today. We checked out that radio on the Apache and the ground radio reached it no problem. We got in a vehicle and went almost a klick and no problem; then to the base boundary which is almost 2 and no problem. The RAF Commander is right now talking to the Squadron Commander. He is going to order their relief."

Liz sighed. "No matter what this will get ugly."

"Yes it will. But you saved that young soldier; and that is what matters."

When she got back to their area, the other pilots had gathered. Clearly the word had spread. Liz was quick to stamp on the speculation.

"We do not talk about this. Not to anyone. Nothing good can come of it."

The RAF Commander was in a tense meeting with the Base Commander. He was not happy.

"You do realize that a RAF officer demanding the relief for cause of an Army Aviation crew is not going to be well received upstairs?"

"Sir, there is no choice. Leaving aside the other charges, the fact that he clearly lied about being able to receive the transmissions of the Patrol Base demands that he be severely disciplined. And the fact that the Ground Forces are going to be making considerable noise about this incident as well makes it mandatory that this be quickly dealt with."

The Base Commander sat back and grimaced. He was of course correct about the lying charge; and almost certainly at least mostly correct about the rest. And the impact of not relieving that crew was not to be thought of; as well as the other crew that had done nothing at all. He had heard comments about part of the 664; and he had discussed the problem with the RAF commander and the 664's commander, who had fully supported his crews. That was another part of the problem; 664's commander had seemed very unwilling to take any action at all. The sad part was that the other half of 664 seemed to be quite good.

"I cannot disagree about action being needed immediately; therefore I am agreeing to their suspension from duty pending a full investigation. Another worry is how is this going to affect the rest of 664? Can we really continue to ask other units to rely on any of them? And then there is the question of the 664's commander and his unwillingness to do anything, which has certainly contributed to the problem."

"Sir, there really is no choice; the whole Squadron must be stood down. Fortunately, most of the targets have been hit with very good results; we can take care of the rest of them easily with the forces on hand."

"Sadly I agree; the 664 is grounded until further notice."

After the RAF commander left, the Base Commander sighed and made arrangements to speak directly to the MOD. This was going to have far reaching consequences no matter what.

The next day the assault continued; no one talked about the 664 or their absence. The SAS as usual had a dawn assault and as usual Liz took her company with them; the Scots and Irish did theirs, each with a company of the NG; and 656 went with the Para's. They were all straightforward affairs; once again the Village the SAS hit was virtually empty; as was the one the Para's hit. When the Scots and Irish both reported less than usual resistance there was a meeting held at 1400.

Once again the Base commander, RAF commander, Liz and Major Wilkinson along with the commanders of the SAS, Para's, Scots and Irish. The intelligence weenie gave his summation.

"The Taliban have all but abandoned the area over the last few days; they have gone south to Pakistan to hide out. With over 40 targets hit in a week, they have admitted defeat and pulled virtually all their remaining strength out."

Liz managed NOT to say "duh."

The consensus was to wait for developments; the base commander would contact the theatre commander and ask for heavy intelligence analysis and assets to determine if there was indeed no reason for more attacks.

So Liz went back and told her people that with the exception of B company that would be on night alert for one more night; it was time to kick back and rest for a bit.

For Liz that meant tackling the paperwork that was never ending. She went into her office and got out the shovel and went to work.

Meanwhile the repercussions were starting; the RAF and Army senior members began to go at one another at the MOD. There was always friction between the three services for one reason or another; from budget fights to doctrinal differences on warfare, to conflicts about who should command where. A RAF commander demanding the relief for cause of Army aviators definitely lit things up. The additional fight between the groups demanding full control of all aviation assets also factored in. The siege guns were brought up and memo's began to fly.

The Defense Secretary felt he had more than enough on his plate keeping the funding for the services under the current austerity situation; what with the Euro crisis and the remnants of the banking failures still lingering. Anything that put any of the services in a bad light did not help. So far they had been able to keep the media from finding out but it was just a matter of time. The worst outcome would be for the opposition to bring it up at the Prime Ministers question time. That was always heavily publicized. Which meant that he had to warn the PM so that he was not caught unawares. Especially as that weekly event was tomorrow.

The PM sighed as the Defense Secretary outlined the situation. Normally the relief of a few pilots in an army helicopter squadron would not be a matter of concern for the PM. But with the parties very close to being balanced in Parliament, and the opposition continuing to build to any involvement in Afghanistan now that the situation was under control, even what should be considered minor matters could have significant impact.

"They are trying to keep it to the charge that the pilots were lying about being able to contact the patrol base. The much worse charges of rank cowardice would make very meaty fodder for the media. I believe that the idea now is to try and force the pilots and copilots to resign or accept non flying transfers, under the condition they do not speak about it. If they do then court martials would convene. Given that there had been prior complaints about those pilots previously for not being aggressive enough, it would be a true feeding frenzy for the media. The situation with the Squadron Commander is also touchy; it is felt, and frankly rightly so, that he ignored the previous complaints. I would in one respect rather he remains; but all things considered he needs to go as well."

"It is certain that they deliberately did not act?"

"I cannot see anything else explaining that. While it is true that there has been trouble with the radios, that is at a distance of 5 Kilometers or more in rough terrain. The distance there was less and the helicopters being at an altitude would have been able to hear them. Both radios of the helicopters were inspected and found to be working correctly. While the American Apache did have an improved radio, the fact that they were heard very clearly the whole time leaves very little doubt."

"It seems to me that Major Parker has been of signal service to Her Majesties military on more than one occasion. I think it might well be time for us to recognize that."

"I quite agree, Sir. Especially once this gets out to the media."

There was very little debate about things at Camp Bastion. The Scots, whose man had been saved by Liz, had had bad dealings before with 664. As had the Irish. So as far as they were concerned it was overdue. And to fighting soldiers, cowardice invoked a very visceral emotion. There really was nothing more despised than a coward, unless that person was a traitor. So all in all it was a good thing that the 4 officers were whisked out of Bastion rather quickly.

Meanwhile the commander of the Scots regiment had quietly taken it up the ladder that a commendation was due Major Parker. As the SAS had already pushed that up the ladder, it was the second recommendation for her. The SAS had also in her previous tour mentioned her in dispatches. This was brought to the attention of the DCDS who was also overall in charge of the awards of valor and commendations. He looked over the file and noted the previous recommendations. This came the day after the Question Period.

"Mr Prime Minister, it has come to our attention that a serious situation occurred in Afghanistan where members of her majesties Army Aviation Corps were relieved for cause. We would like details on this."

"The investigation is ongoing. An incident occurred that required response and the response was deemed inadequate. Therefore the reliefs for cause ensued. At this time I feel it is not one for further comment."

The PM was rather surprised it was not pushed. He did not have a good feeling about that.

He was right. The next day the story hit the papers that were most in sympathy with the Opposition. The Broadcast Media, somewhat put out that they had not found out about it, pounced.

That day the Defense Secretary met with his DCDS and received the recommendations for an award recognizing the acts by Major Parker. The recommendations were agreed with and forwarded to the PM.

The PM was getting pressure from his own party to make more statements about what was brewing. The impact of the situation was all out of proportion to the actual incident, but that was nothing new in politics. The Best Defense is often offense; or in this case a counter attack. He informed the Defense Secretary that he would appear and respond to further demands for details. Meanwhile he would take the recommendations to Her Majesty. Since this was a foreign officer, she had to be consulted. He brought with him the Chief of the Defense Staff.

The Queen read the recommendation; then asked to see the file and the CDS gave it to her.

"So this is to make up for not recognizing her previous services to our Military?"

"Your majesty, that is substantially correct. She should have been commended before; why it did not reach me I have yet to determine."

The Queen contemplated the situation.

"The single recent act was more than sufficient for this award, is that correct?"

The CDS answered this one.

"Yes your majesty, it was."

"More must be done. But this award should be given now. I wish for further recommendations in the immediate future."

"Yes, your Majesty."

The Defense Secretary appeared before parliament to answer questions. It had been debated and agreed that the commendation would also be announced at that time. He had also had a quiet conversation with the American SECDEF.

"This is a fairly regular occurrence for Major Parker. She will be walking lopsided before long."

"Quite. I was astonished at the file you sent me; her record is extraordinary."

"I have asked if this is true, and I have been told that it is, that she is the single most highly decorated officer of our military since 9/11. Now there are aviators that have a large number of Air Medals who have a few more, but none of them come close to her in the higher ranked area of commendations."

"Well, then, it is high time Her Majesties government did their share. She has been very helpful and influential in ensuring the situation in Afghanistan has reached the point it has."

"It is remarkable that an officer at that level has had so much influence."

The SECDEF found he was no longer surprised at what Major Parker got up to; and he had been contemplating a commendation for her actions regarding the ASP situation. But anything there might stir things up best hidden. Still he made a note that she deserved some honor for getting things fixed there.

The Defense Secretary was able to get through the questions without anything bad happening. The opposition recognized that harping on it would not bring them any real advantage; especially as the government had already taken action. His announcement that Major Elizabeth Parker, US Army, would receive the DFC did indeed make news and successfully sidetracked the situation to the satisfaction of the government.

Liz, blissfully unaware of the events percolating far above, was wading through more paperwork. The evaluations of the NG officers were going to be due as soon as she left so she worked on them. And her position as Brigade XO left her in the position of reviewing all the officer evaluations of the Brigade. Which was a load. Luckily the lull continued with only resupply missions ongoing. There was beginning to be a feeling that maybe this time the Taliban was really on the ropes.

Meanwhile word spread quickly and the RAF Commander felt Liz should receive knowledge of her honor more properly then the mess hall. So he simply called her.

"Major Parker, I am glad to inform you that Her Majesties government has decided to award you the Distinguished Flying Cross for your actions in saving Corporal Jones."

"Wow. I am honored. Speaking of which, when will that happen?"

"Very soon I believe; the Head of the RAF will be visiting Afghanistan next week so there is a chance it will be done then."

"Will I need my Class A uniform or will this one due?"

"It is a war zone so your BDU is fine."

"Good."

The PM spoke to the Defense Secretary.

"Sir Alex Holmes, Chief of the Royal Air Force, will award several medals including Major Parkers. But I was also contacted by a member of the Queens staff with an interesting question. I believe it is pertinent especially for the Defense Ministry. The question is that since women are now fighting in combat, is it appropriate to honor one with the term Dame? Is it not for those who now stand side by side with men called Knights out of date."

"It is an interesting question, sir. But one that will grow in importance. I despise the gender neutral term person. It reeks of political correctness. Yet for instance, and I am thinking this question comes because of the idea that has been floated for Major Parker to become a honorary member of the British Empire, calling her a dame seems inappropriate."

"It is a question we need to research. I am sure this has been discussed at various levels. Women will be reaching higher positions in the armed services."

"I recall some of the comments when Margaret Thatcher was being honored after leaving office that things needed to be updated. But very little was done."

"I have been asked to form a committee on that; make sure someone from the MOD is on it."

"I heard a term used once. Knightress. Perhaps that would work."

"Interesting. Make sure that the representative is very competent."

The soldier was unconscious for 3 days, and then woke up. Liz asked to be kept informed and stopped by the day after he woke up.

"Corporal, you have a visitor."

Liz stuck her head in the door.

"You sure look better than you did. How do you feel corporal?"

"Major, I can feel. And that beats dead anytime. Just wish I could remember what it felt like in that Super Apache. Everyone has been wondering what it would be like in it."

"Well, if I am still around when they let you out I will take you up for a ride. Deal?"

"Deal, Maam."

Liz checked the calendar and was startled to see that it was February 5. They had only three weeks left. With the settling down of things, their rotation had been moved up a bit. C Company would be in two weeks to take over the Apache's of A company. In a way Liz would once again regret leaving, but would be overjoyed to see Max, Aliya and James. And be able to truly relax and rest. And if things kept going like they looked like, she might not be coming back. Iraq was fairly stable and quiet, and if Afghanistan became the same, then there would not be much for her to do. She realized that it would not be long before she got her promotion to Lt Colonel, and her days of flying might be just about over.

She figured she had a shot of staying in the saddle a little longer in the 160th, but the bottom line was that her active flying days were getting short. She would have to think on that when she got home.

The next day was the award ceremony. It was strange being the only American in the formation but it was fairly low key and that suited her.

With the virtual cessation of hostilities more than just a few minor incidents, it was decided to send the NG Apache's back to Kandahar. After talking to the SF at Kandahar, it was decided to move the Super Apache's to Bagram. There was still some work there with the SF and the tribal regions in that area. Major Wilkinson told her that 664 was being quietly pulled out and would be replaced by another Squadron if the need was seen. He doubted they would if the situation did not deteriorate badly.

So the next week they all left Bastion. Liz was given a very particular goodbye party by the Scots where they made her an honorary member. She was sad to leave but glad to be one step closer to home.

Bagram had not changed much and Liz was actually fairly comfortable. There was only one week until C Company showed up; but she checked in with the SF to see what was going on.

The office there was the same even if the Commander was different. He remarked on that.

"You got to know this place pretty well."

"Yep. So any business for us?"

"Does not look like it. In addition to getting the crap kicked out of them, the weather has been worse than usual. So they have pretty much disappeared into Pakistan. Those two senior officers the ISI lost has made a difference; the Pakistan Government promoted a couple of officers known for not liking the Taliban. That will help as well. We are trying to find a target worth going in there for and so far we have come up empty."

"Well that does not exactly break my heart."

So the last thing Liz did was do evaluations on all the NG Apache pilots; then Company A and Company B. Company B had shaped up very well; she had no doubt they would see to it that Company C was taught right. Her last acts as Acting Brigade XO were to take care of all the paper work. The New Brigade officers had arrived and were even now working with them. She felt a great deal of satisfaction at seeing how far they had come. She flew down to Kandahar to oversee the command hand over. It amused her a little to see the new officers start to get put to the test by the vets. The ceremony was pretty good. She made a brief speech after the Aviation Commander formally called for her to perform the official change in command.

"There were jokes going around about the brigade. But they soon stopped. Now this brigade can look any other one in the US Military right in the eye and not blink. WELL DONE!"

And the brigade gave a big cheer.

Liz then turned and saluted the new commanding officer.

"Sir, I give you the Brigade. I stand relieved."

That evening the senior officers of the Brigade made sure Liz knew full well how much she meant to them. Captain Vinceenes got the job.

"I remember when this pint sized Major came into the building and proceeded to jack us right up. Then throw a colonel in the brig not an hour later. Frankly, she scared the shit out of us. No one doubted why she was called Doberman. Then she proceeded to pick us right up out of the gutter and made us into a military unit again. One that got its job done. When we finish this tour, we will do it with heads high. And most of that credit is to Major Parker. God Speed, Major, and may you keep right on getting it done."

The last day before she handed over her Apache, Liz flew down to Bastion one last time to keep a promise and take Corporal Jones up in a Super Apache. He was almost speechless. His account was on the BBC a few days later.

"One has to remember that Major Parker is really a small woman. You never think that way because she stands real tall all the time. The way she tools that Apache around has to be seen to be believed. That is a great machine; but not as good as the pilot that showed me what it was like to dance in the air."

Liz got off the Plane at Campbell and formed up Company A. It was not a big group but then this was Special Operations. The crowd waiting was not that big either, but they made up for it with volume. Then she was totally shocked when the SOCOM commander awarded her the Distinguished Service Medal. Then she was able to get herself together in time to form the Company, and then dismiss it.

Then she was in Max's arms and her family was all around her and nothing else mattered.

The PM informed the Defense Secretary that they needed to contact the DOD. As was usual when an American Military Officer was honored with the OBE.

"And you can inform him that there has been a change in how things are done, as the request of Her Majesty."

That May, two months after getting home, Liz was called into the 160th SOAR HQ to speak to the commander.

"Major, the SECDEF just called. You will need to be in London on the 10th of June for a Ceremony at Buckingham Palace. You will also need a mess dress Class A uniform."

Liz was really puzzled. "What is this about?"

"The Brits are honoring you with the award of the Order of the British Empire. Normally a woman getting that honor would be called a Dame. But the Queen apparently felt that soldiers should get something different. So you will be the First Knightress of the Order of the British Empire. From now on any female officer will be called a Knightress. But you will always be the first."

Elizabeth Parker was left without a word to say. For someone just past their 30th Birthday, it had been a very full life.

The End.


End file.
